Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
by becauseimgray
Summary: Reimu and Marisa are surprised when a strange red mist overshadows Gensokyo. Join them as they fight a childish youkai, a boastful fairy, a passionate guard, an elegant maid, a powerful librarian and the devilish scarlet sisters.
1. Chapter 1 The Scarlet Mist Descends

In a mystical place known as Gensokyo, creatures and demons who have been long forgotten have come to live without the ties of humans. This land holds the legendary Hakurei Shrine, and within it is the young shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei herself. Today was a wonderful day, the trees bent with the wind and the blossoming flowers shone in the rays of the glistening sun. The shrine maiden sat in front of her shrine. She stretched her arms out and bent her head, waiting for the crick of her neck.

–Crick- "...aaahh..."

She relaxed her shoulders and lay back, staring up at the beautiful blue sky.

"This is such a nice day," she said to herself.

Suddenly, she saw a black shape shoot past. She sat up, worried it was an evil spirit, but all she saw was the Witch, Marisa Kirisame, slowly drifting down to greet her.

"Oh, it's just you, Marisa. Isn't it a nice day out?"

"Yup! Sure is!" Marisa cheerfully replied. She hopped off her broom and began walking towards Reimu.

"I haven't seen it this nice in Gensokyo since last summer!"

Reimu thought back to the previous year. The last thing she could remember was waking up this morning, and even that was a bit foggy.

"How do you even remember that, Marisa?"

Marisa then laughed quite loudly and said, "Photographic memory!" Then she winked, making it an obvious lie.

Reimu laughed back, and then replied, "As if you could figure out how to use a camera. C'mon, let's go get a drink."

They then began walking away from the shrine, into the forest and in the direction of the human village.

Meanwhile, something was happening on the other side of Gensokyo. In a mansion, far from the Shrine, and even farther from the Human Village was a window. Through this window, a small figure watched the skies of Gensokyo with a bored and annoyed expression on her face. Behind her, a maid with light grey hair poured tea and hummed a happy tune.

"Sigh."

The maid behind her stopped humming and looked up at her master. She was looking out the window at the clear blue sky.

"What ails you m'lady?"

The girl turned, her vampire wings now clearly turning with her, and replied, "Why is it that all of the humans and other magical beings get to have fun outside during the daytime?" The girl's small size was obvious. If the maid hadn't known any better, her master could have been an 11 year old, lost in the mansion. But she knew the real age of her master, and so she stopped pouring and began to listen intently to her mistress.

"How is this fair? Is this my fate, to fear something as simple as the light of day, without the ability to fight it?"

The maid set down the tea and came over to the vampire, "M'lady, if you believe this is your fate, then why not change it?"

The vampire's eyes lit up, their red hue glinting in the sunlight. "I didn't think of that..."

The vampire fluttered over to her chair. The maid walked over and pulled it out for her and then she sat down. "The Scarlet family hasn't done something this big since the Lunarians!

Should we really do it?" She took a sip of her tea, looking at the maid for an answer.

"If you wish, m'lady. No matter what happens, I shall protect you and you know this."

The vampire looked at her maid and smiled.

"Then let's have some fun."

The girls returned to the shrine, exhausted and tired after a long day at the village.

"Woo! That was a great party! Let's go again tomorrow, okay?"

"I'm bushed. I'll see you later, Marisa." The shrine maiden said her goodbyes to the witch, shutting the door to her shrine. Reimu waltzed over to her bed and slid sleepily into it. She began slowly drifting to sleep. Her eyes drooped, but she tried to keep them open a little while longer.

"So...tired..." And then she couldn't keep them open any longer. Her eyelids dropped and she was out.

The next day, Reimu woke up to Marisa on top of her.

"-GAH, What are you trying to do?" Reimu kicked Marisa off of her in shock and began checking herself for anything weird.

Marisa, rubbing her head from being knocked into a wall, stood up and explained, "I was trying to wake you up! It's daytime, but there is a weird red mist covering the sun! No one in the human village is waking up!" Reimu looked outside, and sure enough, there were strange red clouds covering everything in the sky.

"Well, isn't that odd." Reimu bent her head in confusion.

"Any idea where it came from?"

Marisa shook her head. "Nobody knows."

Reimu looked at the clouds closely.

"If everyone in the human village is asleep all the time, then nobody will ever donate to my shrine..."

"Nobody ever d-" But, Marisa stopped herself before she finished that sentence.

Reimu began walking out of the shrine, a serious look on her face. Marisa, looking concerned, hopped on her broom and followed.

"I think we should split up, Reimu. That way we can cover more ground."

Reimu looked up at Marisa. "Good idea. You go on ahead. I'll follow." Marisa nodded and began flying into the forest at a high speed.

The blonde youkai played with her hair. She was sitting in a tree that she had masked in the darkness. Suddenly another blonde-haired girl went flying through on a broomstick, slamming into the dark tree branch. She fell and rubbed her head, cussing under her breath and looking around her for her broom. The youkai chuckled, seeing this as a hilarious prank. She noticed the broom was stuck in her tree though, and realized that the girl couldn't find it if it was hidden in the darkness. She chuckled some more, and grabbed the broom. Floating down, she appeared in front of the witch. The witch, however, didn't notice.

"Dammit, if Reimu was here she'd be saying how nice it was outside and how much she wished people would donate or something...ugh...there's always weirdos out at night...I'm likely to be eaten at this rate...", she continued to mutter under her breath.

"Who are you calling a weirdo?" The blonde girl yelled, annoyed at the fact that Marisa still hadn't noticed her.

"Oh my, it's a youkai. I suppose you heard that mumbling didn't you?"

"Yeah, and my name's Rumia. I control the darkness!" She waved her arms around in a cross-like formation, as if trying to scare Marisa.

Marisa laughed and said, "Well mine's Marisa, and I'm not sure, but are you trying to scare me?"

"Doesn't this look like a crucifixion?"

"Not really."

"Oh. Erm. Well." Rumia looked embarrassed.

"I've got somewhere to be, now if you'll just hand over the broom..." She motioned with her hand for the youkai to hand it over, but Rumia didn't budge.

"I don't think so!" She laughed and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Marisa groaned.

"Kids."

She then began walking deeper into the forest, unaware of what would follow, or even where she was going.


	2. Chapter 2 The Youkai of Darkness

Marisa walked through the dark forest, staring up at the trees and muttering about the nuisance of the situation. Periodically, she would stop to gaze at the sky, trying to figure out where she was, but all she ever saw were the red clouds. At one point, Marisa decided she was hungry. Reaching inside her hat, she pulled out a mushroom.

"Eh, these aren't really the tastiest..." She grudgingly opened her mouth though, and took a bite. She then stuffed the 'shroom back into her hat, and continued walking.

Rumia was having the time of her life. She laughed into the night air, clutching Marisa's broomstick as she flew through the forest in her shroud of darkness. Suddenly, she stopped. She could hear a small rustling in the forest. She looked behind her, worried the witch had caught up to her somehow.

"I hope that wasn't her...I swore I heard something." Clutching Marisa's broomstick, she flew even faster. With her attention focused behind her, she flew head first into a nearby tree, her dark shroud disappearing around her.

Flying in a forest was a bad idea when you can't see where you are going, and Reimu knew this so she had stuck to walking. As logical as that might have sounded, that still didn't stop the sticks and leaves from slowing her down. She picked a leaf out of her hair, throwing it to the side.

"At this rate, I'll never get to Misty Lake." she said. She pulled at a stick lodged in her hair, which refused to come out.

"Maybe flying isn't such a bad idea." She then came to a halt, noticing a broom on the ground.

"Hey, isn't that Marisa's broomstick? What is this doing out here?" She went over to the broom, picked it up, and began walking again.

As Reimu continued walking, she noticed her surroundings getting much darker.

"Humans can't see very well, but this is simply unnecessary...well, at least there are fewer youkai around at night." she reassured herself. She stopped, realizing she couldn't see anything anymore. Reimu heard a chuckling somewhere above her, so she looked up in the darkness to see Rumia, who had regained consciousness. She was holding her hands out in a cross formation, obviously forgetting her previous conversation with Marisa.

"Hah, it looks like you are the number ten!" Reimu laughed at this clever remark, and turned around, only to be facing the girl again. Reimu started, jumping back, and got into a defensive stance.

"What was that for?"

"I'm hungry."

"Nice to meet you, but I'm afraid Reimu doesn't taste good unless it's cooked. It could seriously make you sick." Reimu joked with the youkai.

"The name's Rumia, and if that's the case, then I guess I'll just have to cook you!" the youkai replied, with a smirk.

Marisa was thinking about the mushroom she had eaten.

"Too dry, maybe some water would help," she thought. Looking around for a source of water, she heard the sounds of danmaku coming from her left. Jumping at the thought of some fun, she bolted over to the location. She burst through the forest wall, to witness Reimu and Rumia duking it out. Reimu seemed quite bored, easily dodging the bullets and lasers being shot at her. Then, Marisa saw the broom in Reimu's hands.

"Hey! Get your hands off my broom!" She still hadn't noticed the youkai. Rumia, annoyed at being ignored again, cast a spell at Marisa. Smoke drifted from the spot, showing that she had just barely missed Marisa's foot. Marisa turned, shaking her fist at Rumia and shouting cuss words.

Rumia laughed at Marisa, "You're that funny human from before! Well, you will make a tasty meal as well." She then began waving her arms back and forth like a cross, the earlier comments about her lack of scariness completely forgotten.

"That's it. You've all really set me off. I want my broom back!" Marisa yelled.

"I'm gonna make you regret taking my broom!" She took her hat off and began rummaging through it, like it was a purse. She pulled out her small hakkero, a wooden block with eight sides, and aimed it at the youkai.

"MASTER SPARK!" She cried out, bracing herself for the impending force. A huge beam shot out of the hakkero, streaking through the air and blowing a hole through the darkness of the trees around them. Reimu shielded her eyes as the light from the covered sky came into view. Marisa did too, but as she lifted her hand, the blast from the master spark drifted and burnt the ribbon in Rumia's hair. The youkai began screaming in pain as a magical force began sucking in the light around them. Leaves began pulling off the trees and were sucked into the space where the youkai had been.

"Marisa! Stop using your master spark!" Reimu shouted over the loud beam being shot through the air.

"What?" Marisa asked, also screaming over her spell.

"I said stop using master spark! It's too much!" The shrine maiden yelled at Marisa as loudly as she could. The witch realized what she was saying and lowered her hakkero.

"Sorry, I guess I did overdo it a bi-" But her words were cut off as an entire tree whizzed by her, almost clipping her head before being sucked away. The youkai was pulling everything around her into the darkness. Trees were becoming unrooted from the ground, dirt and rocks were shooting past the girls, and even the red mist from above was being pulled in by shreds, causing a part of the sky to be just barely visible. Reimu threw the broom to Marisa and she deftly caught it. Marisa then nodded in acknowledgement, and both girls began flying away, but it wasn't enough, the force was pulling them in too fast. Marisa turned around to see a black hole, small yet powerful, sucking in and bending everything around it. She realized it was all her fault. She put her hands to her face, ready to cry, but was met with her hakkero. An idea dawned on her and she aimed her hakkero at the mass of darkness.

"MASTER SPARK!"

The force of the explosion slammed into her, and she was sent flying off her broom. Reimu was pushed forward by the blast and away from the core of destruction. Once the aftermath of the explosion had blown over, a small girl was just barely visible. Her small, ribbon-like amulet floated down to land gently next to her, the missing trees around her forming a crater.

The small girl picked herself up. She sniffled a bit, hungry and sad, and then picked up her ribbon and tied it into her hair.


	3. Chapter 3 Lake of the Ice Fairy

Reimu, who was finally free of the forest, could see the edge of Misty Lake and as she let out a great sigh of relief, the mist from the lake began settling around her, blocking her vision completely.

"Well, this isn't good." The shrine maiden began flying in a direction that seemed correct, but only found herself surrounded by more of the mist. She sighed, looking for anything to help her, but all she could see was red mist above her, white mist around her, and water below her.

Reimu closed her eyes. She searched her feelings and felt in her mind for a sense of spiritual energy. Then she clasped her hands together in prayer, asking for the gods to help her.

She finished her prayer and opened her eyes. A part in the mist had appeared, showing the lake's edge in the distance. With a burst, she flew in that direction. The water reflected white and red as Reimu's reflection went flying overhead, blasting through the mist at a high speed. Reimu was confused though.

"This lake seems to be taking me in circles. I'm not any farther ahead than I was a minute ago." She looked around her for anything that could help her, but to no avail. Then, all of a sudden, a voice called out to her from above.

"Gotten lost have you? Well, we all know that any human is gullible and can be tricked by fairies." Reimu looked up to see a child-sized fairy with sharp icicle wings. The fairy wore a grin of radiant confidence.

"Is that so? Well, could you help this human find her way to the origin of that red mist?"

The ice fairy swooped down, hovering just a bit higher than Reimu, so that Reimu had to crane her neck at an odd angle.

"Hah, don't you know who you are talking to? I'm Cirno! The strongest fairy in all of Gensokyo!"

The fairy grinned even more, pointing a finger in Reimu's face. Reimu put a finger up and moved Cirno's finger out of her face, disgusted by the prudence of the girl.

"You don't seem that strong," she remarked, "your aura is puny...are you sure you are even a fairy?

The fairy looked offended. "I am!"

"Well, fairy or not, you aren't much of a threat."

The fairy began to get flustered. "I AM SO A THREAT!" She yelled. "I'll prove it!" And she flew up, ready to fight. Reimu shrugged and got ready for something pathetic. The fairy raised her arms, summoning a spell.

"Icicle Fall!" She cried out, casting her spell.

As Reimu hovered over the water, she heard a loud cracking noise. Unbeknownst to her, Cirno had frozen the lake below, and now shards of ice were flying upward racing to meet her. Reimu felt a sharp pain in her elbow as a shard just barely grazed it leaving behind a small droplet of blood. Reimu grabbed her elbow in pain, crying out.

Cirno smirked and chuckled to herself. "Maybe you aren't as powerful as you th-" but her words were cut off by a danmaku from Reimu to the face. Cirno fell, slamming into the ice below. Reimu, still grabbing her elbow and wincing from the pain, slowly drifted down to the ice.

"Maybe that will teach you to pick fights with stronger opponents." she said.

"Mah haw fwawaf!" Cirno said, her face buried in ice.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, I AM THE STRONGEST!" Cirno said, her wings bursting from the ice, lifting her above Reimu yet again, her little arms at her hips in a superman pose.

"Just...stop." Reimu said, shaking her head.

"I'll freeze you like cold beef!" Cirno said, ignoring Reimu's comment. Reimu started drifting away, finished playing with the fairy.

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you!" Cirno called after her, her fists clenched and cheeks puffed out. Reimu ignored her, continuing to fly away. Cirno, deciding this would count as a defeat, fluttered over quickly to Reimu, stopping in front of her.

"Just get out of my way." Reimu said, "I have places to go, people to fight, incidents to correct." She then floated around Cirno, flying back into the mist.

This angered Cirno. She was done being ignored, among other things. That pesky human even said she was stronger! Hah, as if! Cirno decided she would have her way, no matter what! She was the strongest after all.

Reimu was glad to be away from that fairy. It was all she could do not to laugh though. Strongest. Hah,as if! Reimu decided though, that she had no idea where she was going.

From out of nowhere, an icicle shard went flying past her, slicing a bit of her hair and bow. Turning around with her brow furrowed, she sent a danmaku whizzing over her left shoulder. She heard a squeal of pain coming from the mist behind her. She chuckled, satisfied that she had hit her mark, but Cirno wasn't as amused. She came barreling out of the mist, slamming head first into Reimu's back, causing her to plummet to the ice below. Reimu landed gracefully on her feet, and looked up to see the fairy planning her next spell.

Cirno called out, "Perfect Freeze!" and her spell activated.

Reimu shielded her eyes with her hand as Cirno became enveloped in colorful light. Small balls of red, blue, yellow, and green barreled down to surround Reimu. Reimu watched their patterns looking for an opening. She dashed upwards, ready to attack Cirno, but a yellow ball came streaking into her path. Dodging it, she continued her pursuit upward toward Cirno, but she noticed the balls were starting to slow down. Stopping in-flight she looked around and watched as the balls stopped moving completely and turned a shade of grey.

"Well, this makes my job easier." she said, moving once again towards the childish fairy.

A shower of blue danmaku came raining down on her, shredding her sleeves and cutting her cheek. Blood slid down her face and she reached to touch it, grimacing. She had no time to be surprised though, as the balls began to show color again and started moving back into their dangerous patterns. She dodged one as it flew past her at high speeds as she made her way up to Cirno.

"This human isn't as powerful as she made herself out to be!" Cirno said, smugly chuckling to herself, her arms raised high above her as she shot down more and more danmaku at the struggling shrine maiden. Reimu continued dodging and dodging, but to no avail. She wasn't getting any closer to her target, and the multi-colored balls were getting harder to avoid. One slammed into Reimu, shooting her across the lake, causing her to slam into a second ball going in the opposite direction. At last, the balls stopped moving again and a second blast of bullets came raining down on her, slashing her to bits yet again. Finally, tired and out of strength, she fell to the icy cold ground, a defeated mess. Cirno stopped her spell. She looked upon her work and gleefully cheered for herself, doing a cheerful twirl.

"Victory! I am truly the strongest fairy in Gensokyo!" she cried, her little figure spinning in the sky. Reimu grunted, trying to lift herself, but her arms, which had been bruised and slashed, weren't strong enough to pull herself up.

"Is this how it ends? To a pathetic enemy like this? C'mon Reimu. This isn't over." But even with her reassuring words, her frail body couldn't take anymore. Her eyelids fluttered and then closed, her body giving in to the cold, dead ice around her.

Marisa awoke with sand in her hair and mouth. Spitting it out and choking on the disgusting taste of salt, she brushed herself off and looked about her. She had washed up on the shore on the far end of Misty Lake. She couldn't see her broom anywhere, and with a disgruntled air about her she attempted looking for it.

"Where is that thing, ugh... it has to be somewhere around here..." Marisa muttered to herself, walking the shoreline. Sand and more sand entered her line of sight as she walked, nothing brown like a broom handle or a frayed texture like straw. She looked up from the ground in front of her, giving up in her search, and found her jaw dropping at the sight she beheld. Gates rose up crowding her view, and poking out above the walls of the gate was a mansion, red like the mist above it. On top of this mansion was a large clock tower, its small and large hands giving Marisa the current time in Gensokyo. Marisa's open mouth slid into a devilish grin, her thoughts filling of riches and wealth beyond her wildest imaginations.

"Heh, who needs a broom when you have this?" and she began walking in the direction of the gate, the sand falling off the brim of her witch hat, disappearing with the wind.


	4. Chapter 4 Beyond the Scarlet Gate

A Chinese girl wearing a cap with a star on it sighed as she stared up at the red mist above her.

"Why must my mistress always cause such things?" she complained out loud to herself. "She can't leave well enough alone."

Then, out of the trees in front of her, she heard a rustling. Her stance changed to that of a natural fighter, arms and legs spread out, ready to attack. Out of the forest came a girl wearing black and white sporting a large witch's hat. She had an apple, and as the girl watched warily, a large chunk of the apple was removed as the witch bit into it, chomping rudely.

"Stop!" the Chinese girl cried out. "You won't pass through these gates without going through me first!" The girl in black and white continued eating the apple lazily. She threw the half-eaten apple behind her, where it landed in a bush.

"Sorry, was eatin' " she replied. "So, are you supposed to be a guard or something?"

"It doesn't matter what I am, but who you are!" the girl declared, not letting her guard down.

"The name's Marisa. You?" Marisa casually responded.

"That's none of your business. Why are you here? Are you trying to get into the mansion?"

"Well, I was hoping I could..." Marisa said, beginning to walk up to the gate.

"Well, unless the Mistress has specifically requested a visitor, you cannot go in." the girl replied.

She flexed, bracing herself for an attack from Marisa, the sand at her feet drifting around her. Somewhere, in the distance, a cricket chirped before being snatched by a passing sparrow. The crunching sound seemed to resonate in the silence.

"Hrm, well, it just so happens that she did request my presence. She told me an annoying guard might challenge me, so I'll just be on my way..." Marisa lied.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. If my mistress wishes it, then please, enter." The Chinese girl relaxed, a welcoming smile crossing her lips as she bowed and gestured toward the gate.

"Much better." Marisa said, and she put one foot after the other, walking right past the girl and into the mansion's courtyard.

Cirno was having a blast. She had never actually won against anyone before! Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. Did she get a trophy? An award of some kind? She supposed just being the strongest was enough. Fluttering her wings, she floated down to Reimu's limp body.

"Hah! And you thought I wasn't stronger than you. Pathetic humans can't beat a strong fairy like myself." she gloated, hovering over the ice. "If only you hadn't ticked me off, then I wouldn't have had to challenge you like I did." Reimu was a mess. She was covered in shards of ice, her hair fanning out around her. Her red bow was torn, and the sleeves of her blouse were sliced and covered in blood. Cirno hovered, giggling to herself and discussing, loudly, her achievements.

"I could go to college and teach the students! I am so smart. I know all there is to know, now that I've won, anyway. Maybe I could become a scholar. Maybe I a-" Cirno stopped as she saw Reimu's hand twitch.

"No... no no no, I beat you! Stay dead, human!" she cried out, backing up slowly, hoping this wasn't true, a look of terror streaking across her face. "I'm...I'm the strongest! I beat you fair and square you know! You can't still be alive! You aren't strong enough!" The fairy blathered some more, frantically flapping her arms back and forth.

"You haven't won yet, silly fairy." The shrine maiden picked herself up, glaring menacingly at the fairy, her hair dropping over her face. The fairy screamed in fright.

"Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me!" The fairy cried out, tears running down her face.

"I'm not gonna kill you." Reimu replied. She laughed, picking herself up and walked over to the fairy. She put her hand on the little girl's head, smiling. Then she grabbed Cirno and slammed her forehead into Cirno's face. Cirno fell backward and lay there on the ice, unconscious.

"Finally. That fairy was so annoying." Reimu said, sneering at the girl. As her feet lifted off the ground, Reimu looked around her as the white mist began to dissipate. The ice below her began melting at a high rate, and she watched, Cirno's body went from laying on the ice to floating on the cold water.

"She'll be okay." Reimu said, her eyes turning to stare at the mansion in the distance. The red mist, which was the source of all her trouble, was swirling around the highest tower peak.

"That must be the source." she said, and headed in the direction of the gates.

The Chinese girl was leaning against the gate walls.

"Sigh, I can't believe I seriously fell for that witch's prank." the girl muttered, shaking her head.

"I shall make sure that nobody will ever get in again." she said, nodding her head in agreement with herself. "Yes, nobody will ever get by."

"Can I get by?" The girl looked up to see a shrine maiden, her red and white blouse stained and torn, standing in front of her.

"Erm, um, no! You can't!" A surprised look crossed her face, but then changed to a serious one. "I am not going to let anyone through!"

"Why not?" The shrine maiden asked, her head tilting.

"Because it is my duty!" the girl replied.

"Well, alright then." the shrine maiden said, turning around. She walked into the forest, passing the apple that was slowly rotting.

"Yeah, um, you better leave!" the Chinese girl replied. She went back to leaning against the wall. All of a sudden, she heard something in the air. She glanced upward, just in time to see the shrine maiden shoot over the gate.

"Oh no, you didn't!" the Chinese girl yelled, and she did a backflip over the gate into the courtyard.

Marisa walked into the courtyard, a smirk on her face.

"Haha, I can't believe that worked..." she said, whispering to herself. As she walked around, she gazed at the lush surroundings. A huge fountain sat in the center of a manicured maze of animal-shaped hedges, and behind that was a garden filled with red flowers. The fountain's waters rhythmically waxed and waned, spitting water onto the tiled courtyard leaving the air damp and cool. Marisa stopped to examine a hedge trimmed like a bat. Its wings were outspread and its fangs were covered in red roses. She shuddered, and continued walking around the lavish courtyard. She stopped and a look of joy lit up her face.

"My broom!" she exclaimed, walking over to a nearby bush in the shape of a giraffe. The creature had a broomstick stuck in its long neck like it had swallowed a toothpick. Marisa climbed up on the back of the giraffe, not minding the branches poking her in the legs. She stretched up, but could only lightly brush the broomhandle with her fingertips. Minding her balance, she attempted to stand on the animal's back. As she teetered with both feet stuck in a branch, she grabbed the broom, her arms pinwheeling as she fell, crashing into the giraffe's neck, causing its head to break off and crash to the damp tiles. One hand on her broom, Marisa hoisted herself up on the magic object.

"Thank the gods, I thought I'd never find you." she said, caressing the handle. She picked a few stray twigs out of her skirt and then flew through the jet of water erupting from the fountain. Luckily for her, witches dry out quickly. She looked about her for the front door to the mansion. Finally locating it, she crashed through its wooden planks and into the circular foyer.

Reimu's foot lightly touched the tiles of the courtyard. She took a deep breath, and began walking toward the fountain when she heard a loud crashing noise behind her. Turning around, she saw the Chinese girl, upside down, stuck in a bush shaped like a dog.

"Stop where you are, shrine maiden!" cried the girl. "You aren't allowed to trespass!"

"And you are?" Reimu asked.

"How do you not remember me?" the girl asked in anguish. "We just met a few seconds ago!"

"I don't remember faces very well. What was your name again?" the shrine maiden asked, walking closer, trying to see the guard's face in more detail.

"...Meiling. Hong Meiling, but most people just call me China." She pointed to her face, as if to illustrate her point.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Meiling. Don't get up on my account." the shrine maiden turned, leaving the poor guard hanging in the dog.

"Get back here, you! I won't let you get away!" Meiling struggled, slicing at the branches with her arms.

"Getting away now!" Reimu coyly responded, but she was taken by surprise when an iridescent danmaku shard went flying past her, missing her, but hitting a bush shaped like a duck. The duck toppled over onto its beak, sending sticks flying everywhere.

"Now, what was that for?" Reimu asked, turning on her heel.

"Don't take another step!" Meiling yelled. She was finally free of the dog, her stance that of a proficient martial artist.

"I'm never gonna get any farther at this rate." Reimu said, squinting her eyes at the guard. Meiling just stood there, her face full of focus.

"Take on a dragon, and all you'll get is burnt."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of Chinese proverb or something?"

"No!" Meiling cried out, annoyed that she wasn't being taken seriously. She flung her arms out, casting her spell, "Gorgeous Sweet Flower!"

Reimu braced herself, as Meiling shot into the air, danmaku spinning around her in a Chinese flower pattern. Reimu dodged, as tons of bullets shot down upon her. One almost clipped her skirt, as she took out a spell card and aimed carefully, waiting for an opening. Meiling was a dead target, standing with her arms out, casting danmaku down on everything around her. Bushes fell over or caught on fire from the onslaught. Animal cruelty filled the garden, but Reimu was too busy looking for an opening. Finally, she found one. Closing one eye to help her aim, she shot her spell. Her bullet slid past all the others, shooting up and into Meiling's stomach. The bullet exploded, causing Meiling's spell to end as she fell to the ground, wounded.

"How dare you!" she said, her voice cracking with pain.

"I sure am daring to get inside." Reimu replied.

"Heh..." Meiling chuckled, "I see you've still got enough spunk in you for one more round.." She picked herself up and began her next spell.

"Selaginella 9!"

Bullets began forming themselves around Meiling in a sphere. As more bullets filled the shape, the outer edge of bullets came shooting out at Reimu. She instinctively dodged around and began flying in a zigzag path toward Meiling, her eyes alert for a weakness. The bullets effectively prevented her from making an attack.

"Well, I guess you leave me no choice." Reimu took out another spell, feeling her energies rise. A black ball and a white ball began to spin beside Reimu, faster and faster until their edges blurred into one another, creating an orb of Yin/Yang. Reimu flung the orb at the sphere protecting Meiling. The resulting explosion caused windows in the mansion to shatter and the fountain spray to drench the tiles. Reimu looked over her work. A crater had been blown into the tiles with Meiling lying in the middle, face-down. Her hat had been blown off, and could be spotted at a jaunty angle on a penguin hedge. Reimu heard someone calling her name.

"Reiiimu!" The voice came from the mansion, and she turned to see Marisa waving down at her from one of the windows.

"Come on in here, it's amazing!" she said. "Each hallway has golden candlesticks! I'm gonna be rich!" As she said this, Reimu could see her pull down a candle, blow it out, and stuff the holder into her hat. Reimu laughed, "Typical Marisa. I'll be right there, okay?" Before she could take off toward the smashed-in doors, she heard the sound of debris shifting. She groaned, looking behind her, to see Meiling standing on two feet once again. Her fists were curled into tight balls and her arms were angled in front of her.

"I'm not done with you yet, shrine maiden. Nobody can enter this mansion! Nobody." She lifted her fists up and cast a spell.

"Wind Chime of Colorful Rainbow!"


	5. Chapter 5 The Scarlet Devil Mansion

The maid with grey hair shifted from one foot to the other, her short skirt swishing against the backs of her thighs. Behind her, sitting in a regal gold and red chair, was the Vampire. The maid was preparing tea in an ancient ritual that required her concentration. A rosy scent drifted across the room as she poured fresh well water into the teapot from the kettle.

"Almost done, m'lady." She reached into her lace pocket and removed a crystalline phial. The bone stopper released with a snick. She tilted the phial to release a tiny red drop into the delicate teacup. She poured the tea over the blooming droplet and carried it over to the Vampire. The creature stopped leaning her cheek on her hand and took the cup from the maid.

After taking a whiff of the flowery aroma, she took a careful sip.

"The finest, as usual, Sakuya." she said. Putting the cup on a small table next to her, she asked, "But, do you realize there are some extra...ingredients? The guard doesn't seem to be able to keep them out." Her red eyes met the maid's cold blue-grey ones, looking for an answer.

"I apologize, m'lady. I will deal with them immediately." The Vampire blinked, and the maid was gone.

"That's my girl." the Vampire said, taking another sip of her tea.

Meiling was shooting bursts of iridescent danmaku bullets in a fury. They spun around her in a pinwheel. When the bullets met a wall or a plant they would dodge over or around it, but when they encountered a human they would strike instantly. Reimu, who was attempting to get to the splintered mansion door, could only take a single step before being sliced by one. Covered in blood, she tried to throw some kind of spell, but it was no use. Her only option was to continue dodging until her opponent ran out of magic. Reimu saw Marisa fly from the balcony out of the corner of her eye. She was taking her hakkero out of her hat.

"Do it." Reimu muttered to herself, avoiding another array of projectiles that had spun to meet her.

Marisa aimed carefully at her target, the small device in her hands ready to fire. A bullet whizzed past Reimu's cheek slicing into it, cutting her, and then continued in its path toward Marisa. It struck the witch's broom, sending her flying in circles all the way down and over a hedge wall. Reimu cried out, initially from pain, but also because that was her last chance at beating the Chinese guard. She couldn't hope to beat Meiling now. The guard had too many spells, and it seemed like she would never tire.

Marisa picked herself up from the damp tiles. She stomped her feet in an outrage for being shot out of the air like that, and then crouched down to fix her broom. The straw twigs were bent, but she motioned her hands over them and they straightened out again. She moved her hands over the handle next, and where it had cracked, it was mended. She then hopped on her broom, laughing to herself at Meiling's feeble attempt to de-broom her, and then rushed back into the battle. The bullets whizzed by her as she twisted in flight. She took aim with her hakkero once more, but this time, she didn't take as much care and fired immediately.

"MASTER SPARK!" Marisa cried out, her blast rocketing past Reimu and the fountain. It slammed into Meiling's side, catapulting her into the bush shaped like a bat, taking a few roses out with her.

Reimu heaved a sigh of relief at the guard's defeat. She clapped her hands together in prayer, asking the gods to heal her wounds and grant her spiritual guidance. The gods responded. The wound on her cheek sealed itself shut, the blood drying and flaking away. Reimu picked herself up, patted the dirt off her recovered clothes, and walked toward Marisa, who was hovering on her broom, hakkero still out, breathing heavily.

"That was a bit too much. I don't know if I would be able to handle another spell like that." Reimu said.

"I agree. That guard is way too serious about her job." Marisa said, putting her hakkero back in her hat. She floated down and hopped off her broom to join Reimu on the ground.

"Let's get inside." Before they could take another step though, they heard a rustling.

"Who said you could go inside?" Both girls replied with a loud groan, as Meiling appeared once again, floating toward them. Her hair contained twigs and leaves, and her face was covered in thorns from the roses. Plucking a thorn out of her face, she floated to the penguin statue and grabbed her hat from its head. She put it on, adjusted it, and said, "I don't think you understand how serious this job is to be taken."

"No, I think we do." The girls responded in unison.

Glaring, the Chinese guard lifted her arms once more. "Nobody will ever leave this courtyard alive." she said, obviously not caring what happened to herself or the other two girls anymore. "Flower Imaginary Dream Vine!" she cried out.

The vine from the roses that lay on her shoulder floated into her hands and became a glowing orb. It shot from her hands, splitting into five orbs, and they each settled in various locations above the hedges. Both witch and shrine maiden turned to look at each other and then ran pell-mell for the hedge to their left. Marisa hid behind a bush shaped like an elephant, its large tusks in the air, while Reimu hid behind the hedge that used to be a giraffe.

Meiling began to spin on the ball of her foot. As the girls watched, she began spinning faster and faster, until she was a blur of green and white. Suddenly, the blur became a streak as she raced from one part of the garden to the next, throwing small blue danmaku orbs in random directions. The orbs started bouncing off the tiles and crashing into hedges, catching them on fire. Both girls stayed frozen in their hiding spots, unsure which direction to run.

Reimu was the first to come unstuck from her fear. She knew she should probably do something or they would end up catching on fire. Peering out from behind the dismembered giraffe, she saw an orb headed straight for her. Ducking, she dodged it, rolling from under the giraffe to land beside a leafy horse. The sad, headless giraffe began smoldering as little red sparks lit the leaves. Meiling was moving too fast to target and Reimu was still drained from the healing she had undergone earlier. It was up to Marisa, now.

Marisa took her hakkero out of her hat once more, thinking perhaps it would do her some good. She sagged back against the elephant when she saw the smoke rising from the hakkero. It was useless for now. Her last spell had drained its heat.

Both girls sat with their knees tucked under them, trying to be as small a target as possible. The bushes that were burning gave off a pungent odor, their leaves curling in the flames. Eventually, Meiling stopped, her breathing heavy. She coughed when the smoke from her attacks reached her lungs.

"I know you're there somewhere..." she said, her eyes watering from the smoke. She began walking around to try and find the girls. She coughed deeply again, bending at the waist to get a good lungful of air. "You had better not have gone into that mansion! I won't allow it!" she taunted, her attempt at a laugh strangled by another thick cough.

Reimu took that opening and dashed out from her hiding spot. She threw a danmaku at Meiling and then slid under a cow-like hedge. Meiling, still struggling for a good breath took

the danmaku full in the face. She was sent flying backward, landing painfully on the tiles.

Marisa cheered, her fist raised upward as she peered out from her hiding spot. "Yeah! Go Team!" She plucked a golden rose from the back of the elephant. "I'll just, uh, take this." she said, putting it in her hat to go with the other things she had stolen. She walked over to Reimu, who had come to stand over Meiling.

"Is she done?" Marisa asked, worried.

"I don't think so. Looks like she's just asleep." Reimu said, kicking the girl to show what she meant. The guard snorted.

"Well, let's sneak into the place while we have the chance!" Marisa said, already on her way.

"No, don't...in mansion..." the guard exclaimed, one hand in the air, her finger pointed out...as if to prove that she meant it, but it fell, showing that she was only sleeptalking.

Marisa, one foot in the air and the other foot already on tiptoe, looked at Reimu expectantly. Reimu followed the sneaking Marisa into the Mansion's foyer, leaving the guard asleep in the smouldering garden. Above them hung a chandelier adorned with gold and silver. Below their feet, was red velvet carpet of the finest quality. Reimu's mouth dropped open as she looked about her.

Marisa tapped her shoulder. "Look."

Reimu followed Marisa's finger with her eyes to a towering painting affixed above them. It took up the entire north wall. In the painting were three young girls dressed in fine clothes being served tea. Reimu started as she realized that some of the girls had wings. The first girl had an apathetic expression on her face. She was seated in a plush chair, her devil's wings fanned out behind her. The second girl, her blonde hair seeming to glisten in the candlelight, was standing to the left of the chair, her right hand resting on its soft back. Her expression was one of playful happiness. Her wings were smaller and had colorful crystals hanging from them. Next to the blonde girl, but in the background, stood a third girl. She was dressed in purple and pink with a puffy hat. Her pale face was turned to the open book in her hands. Reimu took a step back, a chill running down her spine. She realized she would not be able to contact the gods from this place. Looking below the painting, she squinted at a gold encrusted plate.

The words on the plate read, "The Scarlet Devil Mansion."

Marisa's voice shattered her thoughts, causing her to jump.

"Isn't this amazing?" Marisa said. "Think of all the riches they might have!" She smooshed her finger on the painting repeatedly, excitedly pointing out the gold objects surrounding the girls in the painting. Her finger lit upon a golden teapot. Reimu's eyes drifted from the teapot where Marisa was pointing, to the woman holding it. She wore a maid's outfit and seemed to be smiling at Reimu. Reimu blinked and shivered at the maid's cold eyes.

"She looks...sharp." Reimu replied, although not to anyone in particular.

"Who does?" Marisa asked, staring at Reimu. "Me? You bet I am!"

Reimu shook her head, "No...The maid in this picture. She looks...sharp."

"So?" Marisa replied, her tone implying she didn't care.

"I don't know." Reimu replied, not really caring what Marisa thought. "It's just...she seems to jump out of the picture."

"Oh." Marisa said, again, still not understanding. She continued pointing fingers at expensive objects in the painting.

"I don't think we should stay here, Marisa. This doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm going back to the shrine, maybe people will donate in their sleep..." Reimu started to back up.

"Wait, are you chickening out?" Marisa exclaimed, her voice echoing off the walls of the large room. "Bawk, Bawk! Chiiicken! Reimu is a chicken!" She demonstrated this, by walking in a circle, her elbows stuck out, her figure leaning forward. She cocked her head at Reimu, playfully.

"I'm not a chicken, I just don't think we should be here." Reimu replied, offended by Marisa's jeers.

"You're just scared because you can't use that spiritual stuff!" Marisa said. "Watch!" She walked over to the painting and took her hat off. She pulled out a paintbrush and a jar of black paint.

"It's perfectly safe." She said as she unscrewed the jar's lid. She lightly dabbed some paint onto the brush, and slowly began to put the brush to the Vampire's lips.

"See? S-." Before she could touch the canvas, Reimu blinked, and Marisa was gone.

The maid walked down the hallways of the mansion. Peering out of the leaded windows, she watched as the girls fought in the garden.

"Hm, the shrine maiden seems to be proficient in some kind of spiritual magic. The other... is just an idiot, blasting at her foes without really thinking first." She sunk back into the shadows to think of her next move.

"They seem to work pretty well as a team. Splitting them up would be wise." She nodded to herself, checked her pocketwatch briefly, and then returned to her thoughts. "I am quite sure Mistress Scarlet will soon grow bored of her tea and wish to have a battle of her own. Nonetheless, I cannot let that happen. M'lady's safety is top priority."

The maid turned a corner, disappearing into the heart of the mansion. Several twists and turns later, she appeared in a doorway to the foyer. She crept to a shadowed alcove and watched the two girls enter the mansion. The girls stared up at the painting on the wall, and then without warning, the witch began doing a strange dance, appearing to mock the shrine maiden. The shrine maiden took some steps back, and then the witch pulled her hat off, took out a paintbrush and began to slowly lean towards the painting. The maid gasped, her shock rapidly turning to fury. She whispered something to herself and disappeared.

Deep within the dungeons below the mansion, Sakuya reappeared. Marisa was in front of her, mouth open, a paintbrush and jar of black paint in her hands. The maid disappeared a second time, leaving Marisa in the darkness.

"-afe." Marisa said. Her mouth closed with a snap.

Reimu looked at the place where Marisa had been standing. Lightning flashed through the red mist outside as Reimu called out.

"Marisa! If this is some kind of stupid prank, it's not a very good one!" She backed up, hesitating in her desire to leave the place, but worried about Marisa.

"What if they've taken her? What if they are sucking her blood right now, preparing to dine on her flesh and guts!" Reimu thought.

She cried out, as a sudden clap of thunder resounded, echoing throughout the foyer. She took a deep breath, carefully looking around her with wide eyes. "Okay, Reimu. Get a hold of yourself. This isn't some kind of horror movie. This is Gensokyo. There's nothing to fear...just vampires, and evil spirits, youkai...okay this isn't helping at all." From over her left shoulder, she heard a door creak.

"...Marisa...is that you?" She peered through the door.

Inside the other room was a hallway ending in a flight of stairs. Reimu stared down this hallway. She could see the darkness drifting out of the stairwell.

"I wouldn't dare go down there..." she said to herself, and walked back into the foyer. She saw another door at the other end of the room. Rushing over, she peered through this one too, but only saw the same thing, except this time the stairs led upward. She shrugged, deciding that was probably her best bet. She went through the wooden door and began ascending the stairway.

Marisa stood in darkness, small puddles of light seeped into the corridor by candles mounted on the stone walls.

"Reimu?" Marisa asked the cold stone, as she picked a direction and started walking.

"Reiiimu..." She called out again, as if she expected a response from the forbidding darkness. As she walked, Marisa peeked through the bars of each door she passed, calling out Reimu's name.

In one room, there stood a big furnace. It had a yawning mouth full of red coals. She covered her ears at the noise as it began to groan and tick. She didn't see any sign of the person who fed this fire. The next room was full of dust-covered boxes. She noticed a locked chest pushed up against a far corner.

"Oh Reimu, why'd you have go lock yourself in a chest?" she wailed, wringing her hands together as if plotting something quite devilish. She walked up to the chest, putting her ear to it.

"Oh, don't make those noises. You will soon be out...and in my pocket," she said, lifting her knee and swinging her booted foot with grace to kick at the lock. "and then...," she heaved at the lid, "I'll be rich!" she exclaimed in a loud outburst, flinging open the chest, only to be disappointed as, instead of riches, she found books.

"Well...these might fetch a nice penny back at the Magic Shop..." she said, disgustedly. She began stuffing the books into her hat. With her hat full to the brim, she exited the room, shut the door, and resumed her search.

Finally, after a fairly confusing and long walk, Marisa came to a door that was much larger than the rest. "Surely, this is where they keep the treasures. I will be the richest girl in Gensokyo!"

She pushed open the double doors, her mouth dropping open at what she saw. Books! Lots and lots of books! As far as she could see there were books. They were stuffed into cupboards, lining the walls, and stuck between floorboards. She heard a fluttering, and turned her head to see a flock of encyclopedias flap from one side of the room to the other.

They disappeared into a small space on the far wall, dislodging a tattered set of cookbooks. Marisa looked on, clenching her broom tightly, as wind blew through her hair from the open door. Marisa felt tiny.

"That...that's a lot of books..." Marisa said, her mouth still gaping open. Her head tilted back, as she stared up as far as she could see. The bookshelves towered over her as she walked into the room. They seemed hundreds of feet tall, and the ceiling was lost in their tops. The library was a maze pressed in on all sides by the giant bookshelves, daunting and tricky. The room was lit by softly glowing candles that floated and bobbed throughout the space.

"This...this could definitely fetch a few pennies at the Magic Shop!" Marisa exclaimed.

She casually walked over to the wall, and reached out for a book lying on its side. The book rushed toward her, like a bird in flight, its pages flapping, and soared at the last moment over the witch's head. Marisa took off running after the book in an attempt to catch it. A face appeared between a gap in the shelves above Marisa, causing the young witch to skid to a stop.

"No chasing books in the library!" she commanded. Her big brown eyes peered down at Marisa as the rest of her body emerged from behind the high shelf. She was smartly dressed in a black and white uniform. The errant book dropped into her smooth hands. "Also, who are you? We rarely ever get visitors here."

"I'm Marisa, and I really would like that book please..." the witch replied. She kept one eye fixed on the fluttering book.

The girl drifted downward, her little black heels clicking on the marble floor. Marisa could get a better look at her now, and she saw that the girl had small bat wings on her head, sprouting from her flaming red hair.

"I'm Koakuma, or at least that is what the master likes to call me." she bowed to Marisa. "If you wish to check out a book, you should first get a library card, although we stopped giving them out years ago..." she trailed off, thinking to herself.

"Nah, I don't really care for "borrowing" books." Marisa said, her attention now focused on a candle and a book, which seemed to be having a battle in the distance. "Is there anyone here who might know where the treasure is kept?" she asked, still distracted.

"Well, what kind of treasure? Pirate Treasure would be in section-P, which is located down aisle C, in quarter A." she answered professionally.

"No, no, I mean...in a place this big, you're sure to have some kind of treasure right?" Marisa asked, her gaze now focused back on the wings.

"I'm not sure if I know what you mean, but I'm sure if we did have any treasure it would be well protected by Madam Knowledge." Koakuma said, her bat wings flapping a little.

Marisa became focused.

"Okay, well can you take me to this...Knowledge person?" Marisa inquired.

"...No. Madam Knowledge does not like visitors."

"I see. Well, I suppose I'll get going then." Marisa said, turning around.

"Okay!" Koakuma replied, "If you need anything let me know! I am here to help." The little devil then floated off into the distance, a swarm of books trailing after her.

"Finally, now that the bookworm is gone, I can sneak around and find the treasure that Knowledge person is hiding."

The witch began flying around the library, searching high and low. The library was gigantic though, and as she looked around, she wasn't sure where she was anymore. Finally, she stopped in the very center of the library, close to the ceiling. She looked down, on the bookshelves below her, and noticed something...strange. The way the shelves were aligned, they formed a pentagram.

Reimu quietly put her foot on the top stair. The velvet carpet didn't stop here. The hall was lit by a glowing red mist. She turned to her left, and walked down the hall. Leaded windows spanned one side of the hallway. Reimu walked over to one and could see out into the courtyard. Meiling was dusting off her green skirt. The brave guard slowly walked back to her post, a tired look on her face. Reimu couldn't help but laugh a little, but she stopped herself, afraid that making even the smallest sound would awake something evil in the mansion. There was a double door up ahead on the right. Reimu snuck up to it and opened one side carefully to peek inside.

A bed frame swallowed up one side of the room. It had red covers and red pillows, and next to it was a bedside table. The table had a picture frame on it, but it was too far away for her to make out any faces. She decided that going in there probably was not a good idea, but curiosity overwhelmed her better judgment, and so she walked in. She peered down at the luxurious coverings spilling over the sides of the bed as she picked up the photograph from the little table. Blood covered the faces of the adults in the picture, but in their arms were two adorable little girls. One had an icy blue tint to her hair and the other was a blonde. The blonde girl carried a little teddy bear, and the other girl was grabbing onto it, possessively. Reimu felt a shiver run down her spine, again. She turned around and jumped as she looked in front of her. The maid from the painting was standing in the doorway.

Instead of a smile, however, she wore a serious frown. She still managed to look as elegant as ever, and as Reimu opened her mouth to explain herself, a flash of lightning lit up the room, and the maid disappeared, as if she had never been there.


	6. Chapter 6 Assault of the Knives & Books

Reimu dropped the picture frame from her numb fingers, its glass cover shattering around her feet. Lightning lit the room once more, and Reimu felt a reflection of that energy crawl down her spine.

"This is bad." she whispered, her voice seeping into the space around her. Reimu exited the bedroom and entered the hallway. As she headed back toward the stairs, her stomach clenched with fear. To her astonishment, the stairs remained at a distance despite her long strides. Turning around, she looked for the bedroom door, and shivered when she realized the door had disappeared. There was nothing but the blood-colored carpet softly lit by the flashes of lightning flickering through the red mist. Reimu, eyes wide, turned to see the maid in front of her. Reimu screamed sharply, as the maid's arm swung down sharply to expose three blood-covered knives projecting from her hand. Reimu felt a stinging pain in her side.

Everything seemed to be moving as if she were underwater. She bent her head to see three diagonal cuts bloom crimson through her blouse. Grabbing her side, she fell softly to her knees, the blood already dripping through her fingers. The maid bent down and grabbed Reimu's chin in her gloved fingers. Reimu tried to fight her off by twisting her head back and forth, but she wasn't strong enough. She could feel her heart pounding and her mouth was dry.

For a moment, her red eyes stared into Reimu's and then the maid stood abruptly, releasing Reimu, who fell to the floor. A small pool of blood seeped into the carpet.

"Conjuring Misdirection." The maid cast her spell.

Reimu had barely even registered what was happening before she found herself pinned to the wall. She looked at her surroundings. The hallway she had been in before had expanded and stretched until Reimu couldn't see the end. The maid was hovering in front of her, her graceful figure flashing in the mist. Reimu blinked and thousands of knives appeared in front of the maid. She waved her hand and Reimu winced as they flew at her. Reimu struggled to free herself but she couldn't get her arms free. The knives struck her, and she cried out as blood ran down her skirt, staining it. Tears came to her eyes, and she choked as blood bubbled from her mouth.

She fell to the ground and blood splattered on the floor.

"Honestly, I can't believe you even thought you would be a match for my Mistress. You are weak." The maid picked the girl up and threw her across the elongated hallway. Reimu flew, hitting the ground hard, more blood coming out of her body. The maid walked over and stood over the girl.

"You aren't worth my time." The maid turned and walked away, as the halls retracted and contorted back to their original size.

Reimu was dying. Her blood was all over the hall and knives poked out from her body. She lay there, gasping for breath, and looked at the ceiling. Her head pounded as it tried to get her blood to circulate but it was no use. The shrine maiden was too weak, the maid was right...but she had gotten this far. She had defeated the hungry youkai, Rumia, battled with the ice fairy Cirno, and wrestled with the Chinese guard Meiling! What makes this enemy any different? Reimu's vision began to blur and she felt her heart slow, about to give up. She thought of her shrine, with its donation box and sliding doors. She remember how Marisa would always smile at her with that stupid grin on her face.

Reimu's eyes fluttered. "But, I don't want to die." she said aloud, and as she finished her sentence, her eyes closed and her heart stopped beating.

Marisa floated above the Library, staring down at the design below her. The entire library was in the shape of a giant pentagram. Symbols of power and protection were written out in stacks of books with the bookshelves measuring out the boundaries of the star.

"This...is a seal." she said, thinking out loud to herself. "With this, you could hide anything..." she grinned, "especially treasure!"

Floating down to the center of the star, she saw a large pile of gold-leafed books. Marisa dug through these like a crazy person, trying to get to the center. The nest of books went flying, literally, cawing at her as they circled above her head before flapping away. Finally, she reached the end of the pile. Removing the last book, she found herself staring at a small indentation in the marble floor. It was cut from the stone into the shape of a keyhole, engraved deeply with symbols that were unknown to Marisa. She peered through the hole and saw a slight glimmer of something shiny. Marisa's grin widened even more. She looked over the keyhole, trying to find some way to open it.

"Stop!"

Marisa turned to look behind her, as a woman stepped out from behind a pile of books. A book floated next to her. Marisa squinted and was able to read the spine, "Gundam Model Building For Dummies."

"Why would anyone read that?" she thought.

The woman had bows of different colors in her hair. Her face was pale as a sheet of paper, and she wore a dress that resembled a sleeping gown. Actually, as Marisa looked more closely, she realized that it was, in fact, a sleeping gown. The woman in front of her yawned. Definitely a sleeping gown. On top of the woman's head sat a fluffy hat, with a moon on it.

"Why are you trespassing?" she coughed loudly.

"I, uh, collect...books?" Marisa replied attempting to lie, but failing. "But, I'm sure that this seal is hiding a most marvelous stash of them!" She tugged on the brim of her hat, excitedly.

"You must be that Knowledge person that nerd was talking about..." Marisa said.

"I am Patchouli Knowledge, owner of this library and I think you should back off." Patchouli advised. "You can't just come in here and sneak around. We don't take kindly to thieves."

She reached into her pocket, and drew out a bookmark. She stuffed it into the Gundam book and it flapped away. "I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Marisa shook her head, making it obvious she didn't agree.

The sleepy woman glared. "If you won't leave, I'm afraid I'll have to take action. I don't think a puny witch and her cold hakkero are any match for a Magician such as myself."

"Excuse me?" The witch cried out, but she was taken by surprise as the woman shot forward, books toppling behind her. Marisa ducked down, as Patchouli flew over her head. The girl stood up, and watched as Patchouli lifted herself above Marisa's head. As she hovered, books swarmed behind her, the noises of flapping like a buzzing in Marisa's ears. Marisa jumped on her broom, flying away, but Patchouli wouldn't have that.

"Sylphae Horn, High Level!" the librarian cried. The giant room began transforming before Marisa's eyes. Bookshelves began rotating and moving, the walls churned, and the area moved to box Marisa in, her path chosen for her. Before Marisa could react, hundreds of green danmaku shot in her direction. With nowhere to run, Marisa flew in the direction of the librarian, however as she did this, the books began waking up and started following her, angered by the intruder. Marisa looked behind her, as books clamped at her broom, pulling at her, and eating away at the straw. Above her, books clamped down and pecked at her hat, gnawing on the tip.

"Get off me!" she cried, waving at the books to go away. They didn't listen, so she took her hakkero and threw it behind her, to float behind her broom.

Marisa yelled, "MASTER SPARK!" and the force of the blast shot her forward at an incredible speed. Books from every shelf angrily followed her as she went flying past. Danmaku went soaring past Marisa, some slicing into her causing her to bleed, but she didn't care. She was bursting at such a high speed, that the danmaku were like raindrops rushing past her, and the blood just slid off her face. As she neared Patchouli, she began to slow down.

"Huh? What's happening?" she exclaimed, looking behind her. The hakkero was sputtering, the master spark flickering. Her hakkero had not charged completely, she realized. The swarm of books that had been following the little witch caught up and swarmed around her. Danmaku dug into Marisa, their sharp points drawing more blood. The books clawed at her from every side threatening to knock her from her broom. Trapped, Marisa closed her eyes and covered her head. A large dictionary came slamming into her, and she fell off her broom. She landed on the library's cold floor as the books and bullets rained down upon her.


	7. Chapter 7 Judgement Day

Reimu's eyes opened and she looked around her. She appeared to be standing in a small grove of aspen trees. She saw that the sky was blue and the golden leaves were shivering in the wind. There was a large river moving to her left. It disappeared into a dense fog in the distance.

"What?" Reimu said, putting her hand to her heart. It was beating at a steady pace. "But, I thought..."

"You are dead."

She looked up to see a girl carried toward her on the river by a boat. The boat glided silently on the blue-grey water. The girl had a scythe leaned over her shoulder, and her red hair was tied up into two big pigtails. She was wearing a blue vest over a white dress.

"Welcome, I am Komachi. I have to take you across the river and bring you to speak to the Yama. She said meeting you was of the utmost importance or whatever." she yawned. She planted the scythe on the deck and then leaned on it, lazily.

"But...don't I get a continue or something?" Reimu asked.

"No breaking the fourth wall. What are you waiting for? Get in, unless you wanna stay on that side of the river."

Reimu peered into the boat, and took a careful step in. The wooden deck creaked as she came aboard.

Komachi tapped the edge of the boat with her scythe, and the little craft reversed course from the shore, carrying the two girls toward the gathered fog. The sounds of the river were peaceful, and Reimu found herself almost drifting off to sleep.

"So, what's it like? Dying, I mean." Komachi asked.

Reimu flinched at this intrusion into her semi-sleep. "Oh...uh...it's um... well it's not that great, really." Reimu answered. She felt that the question was a bit rude.

"I'd think it'd be a little exciting." Komachi responded, yawning again. She sat down on a bench that ran around the inner edge of the boat. She tilted her head back. "I'd like to die someday. It sure would be better than what I'm doing now." She promptly fell asleep, her snoring penetrating the river noises lapping at the boat. It felt like hours passed, and Reimu began to feel uncomfortable. Her butt hurt from the hard wood of the bench and her shoulders and lower back ached.

"How much longer?" she asked.

Komachi woke with a start. The red-haired girl put a finger into her mouth and dug at her teeth. Reimu waited for a response, tapping her foot, but the girl took her time.

Finally, she stopped digging, apparently removing whatever had been stuck, and replied, "Well, we are almost to the other side, just give it a few days."

Reimu stood up, causing the boat to rock side to side. "A few DAYS!" she yelled, her voice echoing off the fog. "Why's it gotta take so long?"

Komachi just ignored her. "Honestly, I don't see the point in my job. Why even put a river here? Why not just make it like Hakugyokurou and have stairs? Do you think they need someone to help people up the stairs? No, of course they don't!" she continued complaining, her mutters punctuated with wild jabs of the scythe.

Reimu sat back down, annoyed. She listened to Komachi while her muscles stiffened up once more and she felt her teeth grind in frustration. She whipped around to yell at the girl to shut up, but she slipped off the bench as the boat hit the shore, and her head smacked the aged planks.

"We have arrived. Thanks for taking the Komachi express." The girl kicked Reimu, who had just stood up, causing her to fall out of the boat to land face down on the shore.

"Now for the next lucky soul." Komachi rowed away and the fog wrapped itself around the boat. Reimu pushed up onto her elbows and checked herself for bruises. She found none, and rocked up onto her knees to get a good look at where she had so unceremoniously landed. Towering above her was a round, bronze building. Golden lines and symbols covered the surface. Reimu walked through an open arch and found herself in one large room. A light coming from high above her descended and beckoned her into the middle of the space.

"Welcome, Reimu Hakurei. You have been brought here because you have died. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Reimu peered above her to find the source of the young voice. A small girl holding a carved golden rod stood behind a podium on a railed balcony. A blue and white hat topped her asymmetrical, green hair. There were ribbons on her sleeves that matched the large bow on the back of her hat.

"Do you know who I am?" the girl asked.

"No, I don't believe I do..." Reimu began, confused.

"I am Shikieiki Yamaxanadu." she interrupted, very loudly. "I believe my subordinate mentioned me?"

Reimu gave her a look, implying that she still didn't understand.

"You still don't know who I am?" Yamaxanadu asked angrily.

Reimu shook her head. "No. Sorry."

"I judge the dead. In other words...you."

"Oh." Reimu said, giving the girl a sour look.

"I want to know, Reimu Hakurei, why you chose to try and stop the red mist, resulting in your death."

"Well, it was keeping everyone asleep...how would anyone donate to my shrine?"

"PERJURY!" the judge cried out, causing Reimu to jump.

"What?"

"PERJURY! You just want all the human's money for yourself! You have no good intentions in your soul!" The ribbons on her sleeves fluttered as she swung the golden rod dramatically.

"No! I..." Reimu shifted on her feet, trying to think of a less-selfish reason.

The judge pointed her rod at Reimu. "I convict you to one-thousand years in hell!"

Trumpets sounded and rainbow colored confetti showered down upon her.

"No no no!" Reimu started to cry, "I don't want to go to hell!"

"NO TAKEBACKS!" The judge screamed at the top of her lungs, as a crack opened in the floor to Reimu's left. She felt the heat come blasting out of it and she could hear the screams of a billion souls.

"But..." Reimu's tears poured out, "Who will Marisa be friends with? What will the humans do without their shrine maiden? Who will make sure the Hakurei border is kept safe? What will the gods think, if their shrine has no maiden?" Reimu sobbed, thinking about her shrine and how it might fall to ruin without her watching over it. She had never been this sad about anything before.

The judge bit her lip.

"I just..." Reimu continued sobbing, not sure she would ever stop. "I just..." She repeated, trying to find some inner reason for her troubles.

"You just what?" The judge demanded, "Spit it out!"

Reimu thought about why she was a shrine maiden. She remembered when the shrine was part of the real world, and she would stand on the porch and sweep.

"I guess...I want the red mist to go away, because if people don't visit the shrine, who will they have? The world needs something or someone to believe in." She wiped the tears from her face.

The judge's face relaxed into a gentle smile. "Well, why didn't you say so?" the judge asked, and then she screamed at the top of her lungs, "DO-OVER!"

Reimu looked up in confusion, "But didn't you say no do-overs?"

"HUSH! I'm busy!" The judged shushed her, stopping to think.

"Why did you, Reimu Hakurei, want to stop the red mist?" he judge asked again. She eyed her meaningfully.

Reimu's face brightened up as realization kicked in. "Because it's my duty as a shrine maiden to protect the faithful!" she said, proudly.

The judge yelled, "THEN I RESCIND ALL CHARGES!"

Reimu squealed with delight. "You mean I can go?"

The judge nodded with a smile. "You may go." She waved her rod.

Reimu awoke in the darkness of the mansion hallway, gasping for breath. She smiled. A knife was sticking out of the mansion's red carpet. She grabbed it, feeling the weight of the knife in her palm. She grinned, realizing what she had to do.

Marisa was being barraged from all sides. Danmaku slammed into her back and sides, trying to get at her. The books flapped their pages as they clawed at her. They pulled at her hat and it toppled off. Marisa's hakkero fell out onto the ground next to her. She grabbed it before a book could snatch it away. She felt her heart beat against the hakkero. Thump. Thump. Thump. The wooden block began to feel warm in her hands. Marisa grinned.

Patchouli pushed her glasses back onto her nose. "Serves that witch right. Koakuma saw her trying to steal some books from the storage room."

She floated away, her spell ending. The books around Marisa stopped their assault and settled into stacks around her. Patchouli flicked her wrist, and the library reverted to its original shape with a groan. She sat down at her round desk, adjusting her glasses once more. The desk was constructed from the inner, polished bark of willow trees. Piles of books covered its surface along with curled papers and pots of ink. The book she had been reading flitted to her. She stroked the spine and it cooed at her happily, settling onto the papers with page ten open. She wrapped her thin fingers around the desk drawer's jewel encrusted knob and pulled it open. She removed several pieces of a Gundam model and a bottle of glue. Patchouli began carefully gluing the piece to a portion already assembled atop her desk as her glasses began their slow slide down her nose.

"LOVE COLORED MASTER SPARK!"

Patchouli turned from her work, and saw that a bright green tornado was flying out of Marisa's hakkero. Star-shaped danmaku were sailing around the library. They kicked books off shelves and pulled open cupboards. As a book tried to get away, it was sucked into the tornado and slashed into confetti. Patchouli's face was wroth with anger.

"How dare you!" she screamed, dropping the Gundam model on the desk. "Now you shall see my true wrath, you thieving wretch!"

Marisa's spell stopped and her hakkero felt warm in her hands. It had fully charged. Marisa hopped on her broom ready for battle. "Bring it on, four-eyes!"

The librarian's bows began to glow and her body emanated a purple aura. "Now you shall face a true magician!" she taunted.

"As if!" Marisa retorted.

Patchouli screamed in anger. "Rage Trilithon High Level!" she yelled. The library began to churn once more. This time, the bookshelves pushed up against the walls, leaving a cleared area of marble floor.

Marisa covered her eyes with her hand as Patchouli was surrounded in a blinding light. Bright little orbs began breaking off and shooting toward Marisa, who couldn't see well from the glare. Dodging around the orbs, she was able to avoid being hit, but she couldn't get a good look at Patchouli.

"Toadstools! That light is strong!" Marisa said. A bright orb rushed by her. It forced her to jump to the left. She lifted the brim of her hat and reached inside. She triumphantly pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "Yeah, this is more like it." she said with a grin. She rocketed forward and aimed her hakkero. A beam of light came shooting out. It went straight through Patchouli's light, and knocked the librarian back.

Patchouli held her arms up and a shield of magic protected her from the next blast. "Not bad, witch."

"The name's Marisa," the witch replied, "and I don't see why you are attacking me...all I wanted was that treasure hidden under the Library. Not your stupid books!"

"STUPID?" The librarian screamed.

"Well, they are!" shrugged the witch.

"Emerald Megalith!" Patchouli cast her final spell. A gigantic emerald was conjured. It rose out of the floor of the library. Its shine was illuminated by candles, the facets glittering like fireflies. Patchouli hovered above it.

"If you won't get out, then you leave me no choice."

"What, a big rock?" Marisa jeered.

The librarian glared. "This rock is going to be the end of you, Marisa." The rock began to glow and hum. A huge green orb came jolting out of it.

Marisa, taken by surprise, just barely managed to get out of the way. She looked up to see the brim of her hat was on fire. "Aaah! My poor hat!" she cried out.

She waved it in the air to try and put the fire out. When it was out, she put it back on and gave Patchouli a mean look. The librarian laughed evilly. Patchouli waved her hand and hundreds of huge orbs flew out of the crystal. Marisa thrust forward, a look of determination on her face. She dodged three orbs but just as those were cleared, small rows of tiny green danmaku shot out of the megalith. They buzzed and crackled. As Marisa grazed by one, it shocked her. She toppled off her broomstick, but managed to hang above the library floor, her hands gripping the handle. She hoisted herself back onto the broom. She was now halfway to her target. The librarian smirked as she watched the witch struggle.

"I knew she didn't have it in her. Dumb blonde." she said, snidely.

Marisa's face grimaced. "What did you just call me?"

"A dumb blonde."

"I am not dumb."

"I beg to differ. You really think there is a treasure under this library?"

"I AM NOT DUMB!" Marisa shouted, her cries echoing off the walls of the library.

She catapulted from where she was floating and careened through the danmaku. Patchouli watched as Marisa flew past her bullets. Marisa reached Patchouli and slammed her fist into the girl's chin. Patchouli went flying, over the tip of the crystal, and skidded onto the library floor. Her purple eyes rolled upwards to show the whites and then closed. A key bounced out of her pocket and skittered into a corner of the library. Marisa was breathing heavily.

"Nobody, and I mean, NOBODY, calls me dumb." she muttered.

Patchouli's spell ended abruptly. The monolith descended back into the floor. The bookshelves danced back to their spots. Calmer, Marisa floated down to Patchouli's body. Patchouli was unconscious. Her glasses were askew on her face.

Marisa turned to walk back toward the keyhole, massaging her hand. She peered down at it, but saw nothing except darkness. "Hm..." she said, scratching her chin. A glint in the corner caught her eye. There, next to a cupboard, was a small, carved key.

"Ah! This must have fallen out during the battle."

She hopped over to it. It was cool in her fingers as she plucked it off the floor. She inserted it into the hole, and turned it to the right. A loud click followed by an even louder ka-thunk came from somewhere below her. A part of the floor adjacent to the wall slid back to reveal a flight of stairs descending into darkness. Marisa happily waltzed over to the stairs and began descending, a greedy look in her eyes.

"I am gonna be so rich!" she said, as she went below the library and into the dark underbelly of the mansion.


	8. Chapter 8 Retirement of the Maid

The maid walked into the Vampire's chamber.

"I see you have returned, Sakuya. Did you take care of our intruders?" The Vampire eyed Sakuya, waiting for an answer.

"Yes M'lady. I killed the shrine maiden easily, and I am sure the witch is being defeated by Madam Knowledge as we speak."

"You say you have killed the shrine maiden?"

The maid held up her knives, which were still covered in Reimu's blood. "Here is your proof, M'lady."

The Vampire closed her eyes and took a sip of tea. "You've made a mistake, Sakuya. She is still alive."

"I swear she bled to death, M'lady." she bowed, "I apologize. I shall see to it that the intruder is finished."

"Do not fail me this time, Sakuya."

"Yes, M'lady." The maid turned and left the room in a rush to search the mansion for the resurrected shrine maiden. She found her standing in the hallway where she was certain the girl had bled out. Reimu was perfectly alive. The maid frowned.

"I thought I killed you, shrine maiden."

"'Looks like I got a second chance." Reimu replied. She cautiously walked toward Sakuya.

"Too bad it will go to waste. M'lady doesn't like intruders who are still living." The maid looked into Reimu's eyes, and was surprised to see a new fire in them.

"Well, I guess I'll have to apologize when I see her."

"That won't be happening."

"Well, I'm wondering...will there be a maid around to clean up my mess when I'm done with you?" She dashed forward, her knife in her hand, but the maid was much faster. Sakuya ran behind Reimu at an incredible speed and elbowed her in the back. Reimu cried out in pain.

"I've got to do this...for the people who need me!" Reimu said. She gripped the knife in her hands and rushed forward. She let loose a scream as the knife descended toward the maid.

"Time Stop." Sakuya said. Reimu froze with the knife suspended in its downward trajectory. The maid walked around Reimu. Time resumed and the shrine maiden continued her dash forward. Reimu kept running, however, turning the corner.

"Coward." the maid muttered. She darted after the shrine maiden.

Reimu was running for her life, but not because she was afraid. The maid was on her own territory, so Reimu needed to find a better location. She ran through the mansion. She looked behind her, and ducked just in time as a bunch of knives went sailing over her head. They struck the wall in front of her. She turned left at the corner and ascended a long flight of narrow stairs. She opened the tiny door at the top as several knives penetrated the wood of the door with a thunk. She found herself surrounded by the sounds of cogs turning and ticking in a tight space. She gasped as she realized she was inside of the clock tower. She slipped behind a gear that turned in time slowly with the nearby clockworks.

"I know you are there, shrine maiden. You can't hide forever, and I've got all the time in the world." The maid peered around machinery in an attempt to locate Reimu.

"Enough hiding, Reimu. You need to fight her!" Reimu berated herself. She took a steadying breath. Her feet left the floor and she floated over the gears to appear before the maid.

Sakuya looked up at Reimu with fury in her eyes. "Time stop!"

The cogs and wheels came to a stop with a final tick. No accompanying tock followed. Sakuya waved her arms and hundreds of knives appeared in front of her. Time resumed. The clockwork began with the absent tock. The shrine maiden did a barrel roll and flew to the right as the knives released toward her. One tore her sleeve and the fabric dangled loosely.

"I'm going to have to go all out this time," Sakuya muttered. "Illusional Misdirection."

Sakuya cast her spell and the clockwork surfaces became reflective. The clock tower's insides were like a circus mirror house. Clones of the maid appeared in each of the shining surfaces. Reimu tried firing a danmaku at the last place she had seen Sakuya, but it bounced harmlessly off a cog. The maid took aim. Reimu watched in horror as thousands of knives came shooting out of every mirrored surface around her. She dropped to the ground and her shoulder burned painfully where she was hit.

Several orbs of yellow light appeared around Reimu and began to spin at high speed. They grew larger in size until Reimu had built up enough charge. She shot the orbs at every Sakuya she could see. Some of them dissipated as soon as they hit a reflection, but one of them hit their mark. The mirrored clockwork faded back to its wooden patina.

"Nice shot. Well, let's see how you fare against this," Sakuya said, gritting her teeth. "Jack The Ludo Bile!" A mouth gaped toward the shrine maiden. Each tooth was a dangerous, glinting knife.

"I might not be able to contact the shrine gods from here, but I still have my own spirit!" Reimu closed her eyes and searched inside herself. She opened her eyes and saw a gap in the knives in front of her. "...It's an illusion!" she realized.

She burst forward as the knives snapped at her. Reimu could see a path through the conjured teeth of the monster. She careened past the solid daggers, and slipped between two ghostlike ones. Her fist met Sakuya's face with a crunch. It sent the maid flying, and she slammed into the wall. Sakuya shook her head to shake off her surprise.

"...You are starting to try my patience." she said, standing back up. She rubbed her thin fingers where Reimu had landed the punch.

She rushed forward at Reimu and a knife appeared in her hand. Reimu kicked in the air toward Sakuya's stomach. The knife sliced at her leg but missed, and the maid was sent flying back into the wall again. Reimu ran toward her, preparing to kick once more, but Sakuya threw the knife. It went whizzing past Reimu's head to clatter against the glass wall of the clock face. The shrine maiden jumped, and her foot planted itself in Sakuya's shoulder. Sakuya grabbed her leg, and twisted it, causing Reimu to fall to the ground.

"Now you shall die, and this time for good..." Sakuya said, "The World".

Knives appeared, but they were weak in number. Reimu rolled over, easily avoiding each burst as it slammed to the ground. Dust was kicked up all around her. She rolled one last time and returned to the air above the weakened maid.

"Is that all you've got?" Reimu asked. Her face was flushed and her hair was in tangles. "What a lame ending for someone so ruthless and elegant."

"I'm not done yet."

"Oh?"

"Killing Doll." the maid waved her hand.

Thousands of knives appeared around Reimu. She was surrounded by their stinging edges, and this time it wasn't an illusion.

"If this doesn't work, Mistress Scarlet, then I am forever apologetic."

Remilia gently pressed her lips against the edge of the teacup. As she finished the last drop of the sweet infusion, Meiling burst into the room.

"Mistress Scarlet!" she bowed, and removed her hat to be polite.

"Meiling. What a surprise! Why are you not at your post?"

"I apologize, but it appears the witch has awoken...her."

"Heh...," Remilia began to chuckle, "I suppose she will enjoy her new toy."

"Mistress?" Meiling asked, "You aren't concerned?" She wrinkled her forehead in confusion.

"No, let the girl have her fun. It will be interesting."

"Yes Ma'am!" Meiling saluted and rushed out of the room to return to her post.

"Ah, this will be an interesting night." The Vampire chuckled to herself.

Reimu was pinned to the ground by knives. "Am I seriously going to die twice in one night?" she thought.

"We are similar, you and I." the maid said. She pulled Reimu up by her collar, dislodging a handful of knives to look her in the eyes. "We are both servants. You serve your Shrine and I serve my Mistress. It's a pity, really."

Reimu felt a knife at the edge of her sleeve with her fingertips. "You're wrong." She quietly freed her arm from her torn sleeve to grab the knife's hilt.

Sakuya smiled sadly and released Reimu's collar.

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Reimu screamed.

She swiftly stabbed the maid in the chest before Sakuya could retreat. Blood sprang from the blue uniform. Sakuya's mouth dropped open in shock. She fell to her knees and then slumped forward. She gurgled and her eyes closed softly.

Reimu wiped the sweat from her brow. Her hands were shaking and her throat was dry.

"Could you move just a pinch to the left?" A voice sounded thickly through the clock face glass.

Reimu turned to look at the opaque panel. The service door was ajar, and Reimu saw a girl fluttering outside, peeking into the room. She was holding a camera and a small red hat with

strings sat jauntily on her dark hair.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Tengu Reporter, at your service!" The girl snapped a photo as she flew into the tower. She had a large grin on her face. "You don't look too shabby, but at this angle I can't get a good shot! Would you mind moving a bit to the left?" She motioned with her hand for Reimu to move.

Reimu shifted to the left and the knives tugged at her clothes. She started to pull them out of the fabric to free herself.

"Wonderful!" the girl began snapping a bunch of pictures, "Your power has grown exponentially, Reimu!"

"How do you know my name?" Reimu asked.

"I've been watching yours and Marisa's adventures since you left the shrine!" Aya said, turning to take a picture of the clock tower's cogs.

"You have? Really? Who are you again?"

"I'm Aya Shameimaru, and you are going to be on the front page of my newspaper!"

"Oh. Um...lovely?"

"I've already shot pictures of the Youkai's powers, the Fairy's pathetic strength, the Chinese guard...although she was boring, sleeping and all, and...oh, gimme a second..." Aya floated over to the maid and began snapping pictures of her defeated body, "...and the maid who killed you!" she said, proudly.

"Make sure you grab a copy of the newspaper, alright?" Aya then flapped out the doorway and into the mansion. Reimu closed her mouth and swallowed.

"What an odd girl..." Reimu said, "I need to find the source of that red mist. I'm guessing it's that Mistress Scarlet the maid was talking about."

Reimu felt calmer now that Sakuya was defeated, and so she was able to walk around with ease. She went down the stairs and into the hallway. She eventually found herself facing a set of double doors. She pushed them open. The dark-winged girl from the large painting was sitting in a throne at the top of a dais. She smiled at the shrine maiden.

"Welcome, Reimu Hakurei."


	9. Chapter 9 Conclusion to the Scarlet Sky

The Vampire's mouth was curled into a frown, two razor sharp incisors appearing between her lips.

"I thought Sakuya would take care of you." The Vampire's fingernails dug into the soft velvet of her chair.

"You are trespassing on Gensokyo with your red mist, and you will be stopped!" Reimu cried out, pointing accusingly at the Vampire, "at any cost!"

"Isn't it you, who are trespassing? You destroyed my garden, killed my maid, and now you are going to challenge me? You are as wrong as you are worthless!" the vampire spat.

"You are a menace to Gensokyo, and I am going to kick you out of this world once and for all!" The shrine maiden rushed at the Vampire. Suddenly, Sakuya appeared in front of the Vampire. Her arms were spread, blood dripping from her wound onto the floor.

"What?" Reimu sputtered, stopping in her run. "I thought I killed you!"

"You shall not hurt Mistress Scarlet! I will protect her," the maid coughed up pink froth and a tear trickled down her cheek, "even if I have to die doing so. Eternal Meek!" Sakuya cast her final spell. Her last words escaped as she fell to the floor. Danmaku filled every corner and crevice of the room. Reimu stood very still. If she moved even slightly, the danmaku would dig into her skin and she would be cut up like a salad. Reimu looked about her for some kind of escape.

The Vampire was crouched near Sakuya's lifeless form. "She was always an excellent maid, and a good companion, even for a human." She addressed Reimu. "My name is Remilia Scarlet. It's a shame that you will be dying tonight, but I'm afraid that is how this will end. Normally, I dislike conflict, but you have pushed me to my limit."

As she said this, Sakuya's spell ended. Reimu relaxed, taking a breath of relief. Remilia stood and raised her hand over her head. A massive energy quickly formed and then shattered to reveal a glowing spear of red light. It cast its bloody glare on everything in the room and reflected off the windows with a sickly sheen. The light showed Remilia's friable skin and spider webs of wrinkles. She wasn't as young as Reimu had first thought.

"This is the heart-piercing spear, Gungnir. It shall not miss its target when thrown. Prepare to die once and for all, Reimu Hakurei."

The Vampire lunged to throw the spear, but before she could release it, Reimu made her move. She had removed a knife from her pocket while the Vampire was talking. She threw it at Remilia and ran forward, following its path toward the Vampire. Remilia was much too fast, however. She swung her arm and deflected the blade. It went clattering into a corner of the room. Reimu continued forward, taking a chance on staying as close to the Vampire as possible to prevent her throwing of the spear, but Remilia was already on the move. She flapped her wings and lifted off the ground. Her legs blocked Reimu's attempts to grab her and she lunged once again.

Gungnir slashed at Reimu, but Reimu rolled under her, and grabbed her from behind. Remilia spun around sharply, and Gungnir slammed into Reimu. She was sent stumbling back. She pin-wheeled her arms to regain her balance, but Remilia was already facing her. She pushed Gungnir into Reimu. Reimu grabbed and blocked the spear with her hands. The force of the assault propelled her into the window behind her. She closed her eyes as she felt the glass weaken and splinter. The glass shattered around her and she teetered precariously on the edge. She leaned in to counterbalance the pull of gravity. Remilia lifted her leg with a grin and kicked. Her foot planted in Reimu's stomach and she went flying backwards. Remilia kicked off from the window sill, following the shrine maiden.

Reimu caught herself before she could touch the ground. She rushed through the air back at Remilia at the same time that the Vampire cocked her arm to throw. Reimu rushed in close and they came together in a tumble, both of them rolling in the air and turning to face each other. They dashed at each other again. They each raised their legs and kicked. Reimu landed a blow into Remilia's stomach. Her Gungnir went flying into the air high above the fight, and the combatants each punched each other once more as the spear came falling back down. Remilia attempted to grab it, and Reimu took her chance. She kicked it away from Remilia's grasp. It went flying and struck the tip of the clock tower where it stuck firmly in the stone.

Reimu floated above Remilia with a smile on her face. "You sure are weak for a Vampire. Is it the moon?"

"We are weak in the sunlight, not the moonlight."

"Well, the moon sure is red tonight." Reimu looked up.

"It's beautiful." Remilia said, admiring her work.

Reimu looked back at the Vampire and then rushed up, racing toward the clock hands of the tower. Remilia dashed after her and spun in the air, her foot connecting with Reimu's shoulder. Reimu fell, but she was able to stop herself. Remilia situated herself in front of Reimu. The two of them were standing on the front of the clock tower. The clock face's hands told the time as the two fighters eyed each other. Remilia made the first move, rushing at Reimu, her aim directed at her the girl's head, but Reimu ducked. As she lifted out of her crouch, she threw a kick and a punch, driving Remilia up higher as the Vampire tried to block the blows. Remilia grabbed Reimu's wrist and pulled her in close, then flung her into the air. Remilia dashed after her, punching and kicking, as Reimu dodged and blocked as best she could. Reimu ducked a punch, and then still crouched, punched Remilia in the flank. Remilia chuckled at the puny blow and kicked Reimu in the chin, sending her flying up the clock tower. She slammed into a part of the roof and it crumbled the impact. She picked herself up, and Remilia floated over to take her spear out of the stone. As she wrested it from the mortar, Reimu picked herself up and rushed at Remilia. Remilia broke it free and turned to cast it at Reimu, but the girl was already there. She punched Remilia in the jaw, and she was sent flying. The spear clattered onto the roof of the mansion where it shattered and sparkled into a spray of red shards. Reimu floated down and landed on the roof of the mansion. Remilia fluttered to the top of the clock tower.

Her wings backlit by red moonlight, she raised her arms, and a throbbing orb of red magic formed in her hands. "I call upon the Heaven's punishment, Star of David!" The orb transformed like origami in her hands. It became a giant pentagon that she projected behind her. "Prepare to be defeated, shrine maiden."

Reimu's face was stuck in a grimace of determination as beams of light formed around her. They trapped her arms to her sides and she felt a bead of sweat slide down her spine. Remilia was like a whale surrounded by hundreds of small blue danmaku fish. The tiny blue lights swung around in a circular formation to chase Reimu. She began side-stepping, a dance of life and death within the shifting swirl. A light brushed her remaining sleeve, and it disintegrated in a small burst. Reimu cried out as another light touched her bare arm. She felt her flesh burn and she gritted her teeth.

Suddenly, the swirl of lights turned sharply, and an explosion of danmaku came shooting out of it. It slashed at Reimu with razor-sharp accuracy. Each point of contact resulted in a tiny blast of pain. She started to bleed as her dance brought her to the edge of the roof. In her adrenaline-fueled focus, she saw that Remilia's right side was no longer blocked. She took a deep breath and concentrated. An explosion spell hit Remilia with a resounding zap. Her spell came to an abrupt end, and the blue light winked out. Reimu's arms came free and she staggered back from the roof's edge in relief.

"Scarlet Netherworld!" The spell activated, and Remilia's pentagon grew even bigger. The mansion, and even the sky, vanished from view. All that was left was Reimu, Remilia, and her giant, glowing pentagon. The Vampire began spinning in a circle. Her wings flapped rhythmically. Reimu was mesmerized. A circlet of red danmaku drops formed around the Vampire. They spun into fractals, each droplet promising a shower of pain. Reimu tried to avoid them by flying up, but they reached her before she could rise high enough. Two of the drops splattered onto her dress, and she felt darkness grip her mind. She screamed, unable to escape the voices and images that suddenly overwhelmed her.

Yamaxanadu appeared in front of her on the roof. She looked down at Reimu with disgust. "You selfish girl, I convict you to an eternity in hell."

Reimu felt a pain in her chest with this pronouncement, but she forced herself to start moving on hands and knees toward the Vampire in the distance.

Next was Komachi, her scythe swishing past Reimu's head. "You are a pathetic soul."

Reimu felt another pang in her chest. "This...this isn't real..." she said, desperately.

However, that didn't stop the Tengu, Aya. "Why don't you ever read my newspaper?" The reporter asked, tears raining down her face. Reimu felt a tear crawl down her face, but she wiped it away and kept crawling.

The next person who appeared was the maid, Sakuya. She looked elegant in the moonlight, her braids blowing in the wind. "You are a murderer."

Reimu stopped moving. "...am I?" she shook her head, "It doesn't matter. I must go on!" She dragged her body across the roof, past her accusers.

Meiling came into view, her red hair dressing her shoulders. "You are an intruder and a cheater." Reimu looked up at Meiling for a moment, but she continued on as the pain grew.

The Ice Fairy, Cirno, her arms crossed over her chest in a boastful manner, hovered by Reimu's face. "You are a weak and selfish fool!"

Reimu chuckled. "I am no weaker than you, Fairy."

Rumia stood in front of Reimu next, "I hate you."

The shrine maiden was almost to the Vampire now. The danmaku shower still spun and fell, drops splashing onto Reimu as she made her way forward.

The last haunt took shape. Reimu looked up from the black boots planted in front of her to see Marisa. She held her witch's hat in her hands. Her blonde hair twisted free in the wind, and her eyes were full of sorrow. "You are a bad friend, Reimu."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Reimu cried, her sobs echoing off the walls of the mansion. She scrabbled to her feet and dashed at the Vampire. The danmaku brushed past her sides and face but she didn't care anymore. She was hollow and angry. She jumped and kicked, putting all of her rage into the blow. It landed in the Vampire's face and Remilia went careening backward. She disappeared off the roof and her spell ended. The droplets sizzled and dried where they had landed.

"I am...not a bad...friend!" Reimu said "I am not any of those things! I am a good person!"

"You are a human, Reimu." The Vampire flapped back up. Her face was calm, but Reimu could see a red mark where she had made contact. "Humans succumb to their inner whims like a fly to trash. Mountain of a Thousand Needles!" Remilia flicked her hand, and Reimu jumped back onto the rooftop, expecting a bunch of danmaku to come her way.

Reimu gasped as five Sakuyas appeared in front of her with knives drawn. Two of them came her way, and Reimu jumped back as they carelessly knifed each other in the chest. They dropped dead and disappeared, but four more Sakuyas appeared in their place. Reimu dodged the next several knives being thrown by the clones, but one knife caught her and she dropped to the ground bleeding. She gripped her wound and looked about her. There were assassin Sakuyas all over. Reimu shot a danmaku at a clone to her left, but it just reappeared as two more.

"Damn it..." she cussed under breath while blood clotted between her fingers, "guess I'll have to use my last spell." She cast it with a raised hand. A small yin/yang orb appeared. It rotated and grew until Reimu was holding onto a gigantic ball which spun so fast you could barely read the symbols on it anymore. It shone brightly casting shadows all over the rooftop. Remilia's eyes widened at the sheer mass of the orb. Reimu then flew up and it down below her onto the army of maids.

The impact was immense, and Reimu was blasted back as a huge crater formed in the stone. She looked down, but to her dismay, there were still maids everywhere. The eight maids from before had multiplied to eight hundred! Reimu looked about for an idea, and then it clicked.

"All this time...I've been attacking the maids...but the real target is Remilia!" She flew towards Remilia, a danmaku readied in her hand, but the maids realized what she was doing. They

took off towards her, and formed an armed barrier between her and the Vampire.

"You shall not attack the Mistress!" they cried in unison. Reimu groaned. Now there was no way for her to attack. Reimu moved all about avoiding the knives from the maids, and she shot several bullets in the Vampire's direction but they just hit maids. This caused them to continue to multiply.

Reimu lifted her hand, and feeling the spiritual energy inside her, she caused a fireball to appear in her hand. She threw it and a maid caught fire. The fake Sakuya screamed and flames enveloped the graceful clone. She brushed past a maid close to her in her flailing movement, and she also caught fire. Soon, the hundreds of maids were all a screaming, fiery mess.

Reimu aimed through the smoke and shot a danmaku at the Vampire. A maid attempted to jump at it, to take the hit, but the fire was too much for her. She fell a bit short, and the bullet shot over her head to pierce the Vampire in the stomach. Remilia stumbled back, and the maids disappeared. Nothing remained but a charred smell and a lot of smoke. Reimu burst forward and got in close with the Vampire. She punched, but the creature blocked and kicked her, sending Reimu backward.

"I'm not done yet!" she said, "Scarlet Miester!" The Vampire disappeared in a flash. Reimu looked about her, but saw nothing. Suddenly, Remilia appeared behind her. She shot a danmaku into Reimu's back. The girl cried out in agony, and the force of the impact knocked her forward. The Vampire appeared again in front of Reimu, and kicked her, sending her flying into the air. Remilia appeared above her, and taking both hands into a fist she struck Reimu in the head. Reimu fell to the ground.

Reimu picked herself up off the ground and looked up just as Remilia darted in front of her. She punched Reimu in the stomach, and sent Reimu flying backward. Reimu glared at Remilia who floated down in front of her.

"Had enough?" she asked, playfully.

Reimu wiped blood off her cheek. She screamed, running at the Vampire with her fist raised over her head. Before she could land her blow, Remilia appeared behind her, elbowing her in the back. Reimu went flying forward, but she dug her heels into the ground. She turned quickly and kicked. The Vampire wasn't ready, and the attack landed. It sent Remilia shooting across the roof and she slammed into one of the four towers.

"Had enough?" Reimu mocked, as the Vampire's spell ended.

Remilia returned to normal speed. "You are a fool. You really think you can win all by yourself?" The Vampire raised her arm, and Gungnir appeared in her hand again. Its light was cast across the roof. "Die."

Reimu attempted to run for cover, but she didn't have enough time. Remilia threw Gungnir and it streaked across the sky at lightning fast speed. It struck Reimu in the heart, and she fell to her knees as all the color in her face drained away. Reimu fell face first to lie motionless in the dirt.

"Pathetic." The Vampire sneered down at the shrine maiden's body. "And to think, she actually thought she could beat me."

"I will beat you." Reimu struggled to her feet. "You missed me." She pointed at her chest. There was a giant hole in her side, but Reimu was right. Gungnir had missed her heart. Instead, she had a large hole in her side.

"Inside the mansion, this would have ended me for sure. But, outside on the roof, the God's are in my favor." The vampire's eyes widened as the hole in Reimu's side disappeared, and new skin replaced where it had been.

"Are you immortal?"

"No. I am a simple shrine maiden." Reimu tied her hair back into a pigtail, "A shrine maiden that protects Gensokyo from fiends like you!" Reimu pointed into the sky to Remilia's left, "Smile for the camera!"

Remilia turned abruptly, looking where Reimu was pointing. She saw the Tengu, fluttering in the sky. She shot a picture with her camera, and for a moment, Remilia was blinded. She rubbed her eyes and when she could see again, she saw Reimu's fist in her face. Reimu continued to punch Remilia until her arms ached, but she eventually gave up.

Remilia chuckled, "It's no use. I am immortal. There is no way to defeat me."

"I didn't come here to kill you. I came here to stop this red mist."

"...so...you didn't come here to destroy me for good?"

"No! I came here to stop the evil that is penetrating Gensokyo!"

"Why didn't you say so?" Remilia picked herself up. "I created this red mist so that I could come out during the day."

"It's causing mayhem for everyone else though."

Remilia eyes widened. "Then I shall stop the mist, but our battle is not yet over. You have killed my maid, and for that you will die, Reimu Hakurei." Remilia kicked at Reimu, pushing her back several paces.

"Now, for my final and deadliest spell! Scarlet Gensokyo!" The Vampire lifted herself high in the sky. Reimu craned her neck to see her, and her mouth opened in awe. In the Vampire's hands was the moon. Its surface reflected bright light on everything around them. The mist was disappearing, and the night sky was showing through. Stars glistened everywhere, and the Vampire's wings glowed, shining from the moon she was holding. "This is the end, Reimu. I will have my vengeance."

Reimu looked for a way to hide, but there was nothing around to hide under. She was doomed.

Remilia lifted her arm, preparing to throw the moon down on Reimu's head, when suddenly, Reimu had an idea. She closed her eyes, and sent all of her spiritual energy to the maid's body. She asked the gods for forgiveness, and they responded.

"M'lady! Stop!" The maid appeared instantly in front of Reimu. Her dress was repaired and her bruises were gone.

Remilia hesitated, looking in the direction of the voice.

"I've been revived, Mistress!" Remilia ended her spell, and floated down, a tear trickling down her face. She started sobbing like a little girl, her wings sagging behind her.

"It's okay now, M'lady." The maid came over to the Vampire and knelt down on one knee to look into her face. The girl was crying, with no hints of stopping. "Sakuya...I...I thought I'd lost you..."

"Never, M'lady." Sakuya took a handkerchief out of her dress pocket and brushed the tears out of Remilia's eyes. Sakuya turned to Reimu, "Thank you, shrine maiden."

Reimu looked at the two, a small smile on her face. "It's my duty." She then looked to the sky. The stars were beginning to disappear, and the sun was visible through the purple and orange streaks that swam in the sky. Looking once more at the two before her, she waved as she lifted off the ground, flying home, her work finally finished.


	10. Chapter 10 The Final Scarlet

Reimu brushed the last few strokes of dust off the porch of the shrine. "Ahh...It sure is a nice day out, but I still haven't gotten any visits to the shrine."

"Perhaps business would be better if the shrine wasn't visited by so many youkai?"

Reimu looked up from her sweeping to see Remilia standing in front of her. She carried a baby pink parasol, which shaded her from the sun.

"I thought you couldn't come out in the daytime."

"Don't worry, I am fine under this parasol."

"If you have that, then why'd you need all that mist?"

"Would you enjoy walking under a parasol your entire life?"

"Good point."

"I came here to apologize. This whole ordeal cost you a lot."

"It's fine. I'm just glad everything is back to normal." Reimu shrugged.

"As am I." the Vampire smiled.

"Only thing is, I keep feeling like I forgot something..." Reimu said, thinking back to her adventure, and then she gasped, "Marisa!"

Marisa walked slowly down the dark foreboding stairs.

"Maybe I should go back up...," Marisa began to think, but she shook her head, "No! This treasure is more important!"

Putting her foot down firmly on the cold stone step, she kept walking. The only light she could see was from the keyhole in the floor above. The light descended quite far down, and the stairs wrapped themselves around and around in a spiral. She took another step, and her foot slipped. Marisa yelled out in surprise as she went falling down the stairs, bumping her head once or twice. She lost her footing completely, but was able to hold onto the side of the stairway while her legs dangled into the darkness below.

"That was really close," Marisa said, hoisting herself back up. "I've got to be more careful." She kept walking, and eventually she reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked up and saw that far above her was the keyhole. Its light expanded out to fill the space. "I don't see any treasure!" Marisa said angrily.

She felt a chill run down her spine as a small noise came from somewhere to her right.

"Who's there?" Marisa asked, hoping to receive no answer.

"Did Sister send you?" a voice asked from the darkness.

"Er...uh, I'm not your Sis, but do you know where I could find the treasure?"

"Sis...," the voice made a sniffing noise, and Marisa realized it was crying, "Sister, I'm sorry, just let me go please..."

"I'm...um...I'm just gonna go...if there's no treasure here." Marisa began walking towards the steps.

"No! Don't leave me!" I'll...I'll..." the voice stammered.

Marisa's foot touched the first step.

"I'LL DESTROY YOU!" The voice screeched and Marisa froze in terror. She watched as two light blue crystal-shaped lights flickered on like Christmas lights in the darkness. They illuminated the face of the voice, and Marisa saw that it was the blonde girl from the painting in the foyer. The lights were hanging from a pair of thin twig-like wings. Her eyes were blood red, and she was crouched in a corner of the room. She was chained to the wall, and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in ages. Bits of her red blouse were torn, and Marisa could see blood stains on the ground. The girl had scrape marks all along her face. It looked as if she had been digging her nails into her skin.

"Come back." the girl whispered.

Marisa screamed. Terror gripped her limbs. The girl stood up. The crystal lights continued to flicker and bob with her movement.

"You're not Sis!"

"No...I'm not," Marisa said, trying not to scream again, "are you going to eat me?"

"What? I don't eat people." the girl turned her head to the side, confused. "I'm not a youkai! I'm Flandre!"

"Oh! Like a flan cake! Those are tasty!" Marisa said. The Vampire puffed her cheeks up. "I'M NOT A CAKE!"

"Well, if you are a Vampire, aren't you going to suck my blood?"

"I am kind of thirsty."

Marisa began backing up, and her feet landed on the second stair.

"GET BACK HERE!" The blonde girl's wings were now well lit. The lights blinked light blue, blue, purple, and the next one was already flickering on, turning a pink color.

Marisa followed the command, and walked back down the steps.

"Wait a minute...what are you?" The thin girl walked as far as the chain would stretch, squinting in the darkness. She faced Marisa, who was frozen in fear.

"Duh, I'm a witch." Marisa said, pointing at her hat.

"What's a 'Witch'?" the girl asked. She stuck out her tongue playfully.

"We are humans who use magic." Marisa replied. The chain attached to Flandre circled Marisa as she walked around to continue her inspection.

"Oh, like Ms. Sakuya!" the little girl said, squealing in happiness. "Are you here to play with me, Ms. Witch? Ms. Sakuya doesn't play with me, but she does feed me sometimes." Flandre rubbed her belly hungrily.

"The name's Marisa, and I'm not really here to play...you see I wa-"

"LETS PLAY A GAME, LETS PLAY A GAME!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands, cutting off Marisa's attempts to explain.

"That's nice, but I didn't really come here to play a g-"

"DANMAKU GAME! DANMAKU GAME!" the girl cried out, still hopping in place, ignoring Marisa's words.

"Alright...," Marisa gave in, "I suppose that could be fun. If it doesn't kill me first."

"YAYYYY!" Flandre's final lights, which were ocean blue, flickered on and Marisa thought they were quite pretty. The colors shone in the darkness, illuminating the girl completely. Flandre rose above Marisa and her chain pulled with her. Marisa tripped on it, and fell over, her hat falling off.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Oopsie!" the girl blushed, but she continued rising. "I'm gonna start off easy, okay? Cranberry Trap!"

Marisa laughed. "What kinda spell name is that?"

Flandre's face fell. "It's cute!"

"Whatever," Marisa said, still chuckling at the name of the spell. "What's it do? Trap berries?"

"No! It does this!" As Flandre spoke, purple sparks appeared in the middle of the room. The danmaku spun around and around, and then shot out, shooting at Marisa. Marisa easily dodged them.

"Yay! You're really good at this!" Flandre clapped her hands in excitement.

"Well, you said you would go easy on me. This is nothing compared to that Librarian."

"What's a ...Lye-Brah-Ree-Ahn?" The girl fought with the word.

"A dumb thing, don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay! Let's try something more fun!" Flandre flapped even higher, and the chain on her ankle pulled tightly. Marisa noticed that no matter how far Flandre seemed to go, there was always just enough chain. Flandre put her hand out and a glowing shape appeared.

"Time for fun, fun, fun!" she screamed joyfully as the shape crackled and took form. "This is Lävatein! Sword of the gods!"

"You stole from the gods? Good thing Reimu isn't here or she would be busting your ass."

"I didn't steal! I borrowed." the girl cried out, aghast at Marisa's accusations.

"Sure you did." Marisa said sarcastically.

"Well, where did you get that magical broomstick from, Ms. Witch? Huh? Huh?" the Vampire questioned.

Marisa glared. "This is MINE, thank you very much!" As Marisa said this, Flandre swung the sword and its twisted form created a huge laser, burning the air around it.

Marisa jumped back, and the laser cut through where she had been standing.

"Watch out! You almost burned me!"

"Oh, sorry!" Flandre apologized, "I haven't used Lävatein since the 1500's!"

"THE 1500's?"

"Yeah, I'm...," the girl put the sword, still burning, under her arm and began counting on her fingers. She shook her head, "Older than 10."

"Well, yeah, I figured!" Marisa said. She looked at the room around her. The area was lit up by the flickers from the sword. Marisa saw coloring sketches on the walls. There were some badly drawn clouds. There was a large sketch that looked something like a window, and through it, she saw a red moon. In the middle of all the sketches, there was the Vampire with light blue hair. She had a frown on her face, and she carried a ripped teddy bear in her hand. Lastly, Marisa saw Flandre chained in a dungeon, and the maid holding a plate of food.

"Is that you?" she asked over the crackling of the flames.

"Those drawings aren't much fun. Can we keep playing?"

"Your sister put you down here?"

"MY SISTER LOVES ME!" Flandre glared, and she swung Lävatein, causing Marisa to jump onto her broomstick to avoid the flaming torrent that came after her. "DON'T INSULT MY SIS!"

"Okay, okay!" Marisa said, putting her hands up to signal defeat. "I'm sorry, I guess."

A tear began a slow path down Flandre's face. "Sister put me here...but she can't hate me...she...she loves me."

"I think if she loved you, she wouldn't have put you down here." Marisa flew in closer as she attempted to reason with the girl.

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" Flandre's face swung upward. Tears were raining down her face, and her eyes were dark red like a rose dipped in blood.

"What? All I'm saying is..."

"NO! You don't understand!" Flandre swung her sword at Marisa, cutting her off. The laser went soaring through the air, cutting red and orange flames into the darkness. Marisa flew as fast as she could, and avoided the laser's path circling the large area around her. The spiral of stairs rushed past her and she looked behind her to see the ends of her broomstick were smoking.

"Aaah! First my hat, and now my broom!" She waved her hat at the broomstick's ends, trying to put out the fire.

"MY SISTER LOVES ME!" Flandre continued swinging the sword back and forth, slicing the air around her, causing Marisa to dodge incessantly. "SAKUYA SAYS SO!" she screamed, her anger getting more and more out of control.

"Oh boy, I would never have come down here, if I knew I was going to have to babysit." Marisa thought to herself. "I was never good with kids."

Flandre continued with her tantrum until she started to tire. She sighed and looked at the Witch.

"You insulted my sister, Ms. Witch! For that, you will pay." She activated her next spell, "Four of a kind!"

Three clones split out from the real Flandre and floated around Marisa, cackling and dancing. Marisa felt her head getting woozy and as they made their last spin around her, she fell off her broom and hit the ground below her.

Marisa awoke in complete darkness. She stood up and childish laughter came from her left, then from her right. The source seemed to be moving, and as she tried to see through the darkness, a huge green orb flew at her. She jumped and rolled, dodging to the left just as another orb flew in from her right. She pulled her hakkero out of her hat and looked about her. Another echo of laughter came from behind her, and as she whipped around, she aimed her hakkero.

"MASTER SPARK!" Marisa screamed. The large burst of energy slashed through the darkness showing Flandre. The spell hit its mark. She was struck directly in the heart, and went flying into the wall behind her. With a ZAP, she disappeared in a poof of smoke. The darkness wrapped itself back around Marisa and she heard loud giggling coming from all around her.

"Stop hiding like a cheater. You, cheater!"

"Cheater?" the response came from all around Marisa. "You're the cheater, Ms. Witch!"

Green orbs fell down around Marisa. They formed a cage shape and trapped her.

"Let's play!" the voice came from above Marisa this time. Flandre's face appeared to Marisa's left causing Marisa to jump, falling backwards into the opposite side of the cage. She turned and saw Flandre standing behind her, giggling.

"You're kinda weak, Ms. Witch!" Both Flandre's said in unison, and then they disappeared into the darkness.

"The hell is going on?" Marisa muttered, as a chill ran down her spine, "How are there so many of you?"

"But, they are all me, Ms. Witch. I am never alone because I love ME." Flandre appeared above the cage. "I am watching you, Ms. Witch. We all are." The darkness crept back, and Marisa's eyes widened as the light revealed hundreds of Flandres. They were sticking to the wall, fluttering around like bees. Each Flandre was an exact replica of the other. They all had that blank stare, but a lot of them were giggling and pointing at Marisa, as if she were a circus freak putting on a show.

"We are never alone like you, Ms. Witch." they all said in unison.

Marisa felt a tear crawl down her cheek. "I'm not lonely! I don't know what you are talking about!"

The crowd of girls in front of her giggled loudly.

"You are a liar." Several Flandres shot bullets at the Witch, and they laughed cheerfully when she jumped away from them.

"You steal from others to garner attention, Ms. Witch." The wall of Flandres moved in closer.

"You lie to make yourself seem like a better person, Ms. Witch." The wall continued moving in lockstep. Marisa began moving around, trying not to listen to their jeers. "There's gotta be a way out of this darn cage..." she muttered, looking about wildly for some kind of convenient exit.

"You are a bad friend and you only care about yourself." The Vampires were nearing Marisa. They were reaching through the cage now, their hands brushing Marisa's dress. Marisa finally noticed something. The cage was made up of Danmaku, which meant it was a spell. "If she could just manage to hit the true Flandre." she thought.

Marisa began to take action. She grabbed her hakkero and aimed at the wall of girls.

"You are alone, Ms. Witch. All alone." They grabbed ahold of Marisa's dress. Marisa closed her eyes, a single tear crawling out as her eyelashes clenched tightly.

"LOVE-COLORED MASTER SPARK!" The blast that ensued caused Marisa to fly back as the cage spell was absorbed by the blast. She slammed into a wall somewhere behind her and watched the mess she had caused. Her hakkero lay in the center of the room, a massive green and blue tornado coming from it, tearing the wall of clones apart. Flandres went flying everywhere, hitting the walls and disappearing, or flying around the tornado being beaten to death by star-shaped bullets. Marisa looked above the chaos and saw the real Flandre.

She wasn't being pulled in by Marisa's spell, and she had her hands crossed in annoyance. "I also have a love spell, Ms. Witch! It's a Maze of Love!"

Marisa's tornado stopped, and Flandre's spell activated. Darkness temporarily filled the room again, and Marisa was blinded as a bright light flared. Marisa shielded her eyes and watched as large walls of danmaku came at her. Some of the walls moved, and some didn't, and as Marisa watched Flandre settled herself in the middle of the circular maze. Marisa could have stayed still and just waited for the spell to end, but a thin wall of danmaku flew at her from above, causing her to hurry forward into the maze. As she ran, she felt like someone was watching her.

"Is that you, Flandre?" She turned around to catch the culprit, and only found herself staring into a mirror reflection of herself.

"Well, hello there, good-lookin'!" Marisa said, gazing at herself. She fixed her hat so it looked nice, and then turned to continue into the maze. As she walked farther in, she still felt as if there was something watching her. She turned around again, and found the reflection, still staring at her.

"Okay, now you are just starting to creep me out with that beautiful face of yours." Marisa turned around, only to find herself staring into her own eyes.

"Aah!" Marisa fell backward, sitting down hard. "But- You- Behind-" She pointed behind her, unable to make words. The mirror image in front of her just smiled blankly.

Marisa had to admit, she was looking pretty good. She admired herself for a moment, but then picked herself up off the ground. She attempted to move around the image of herself. The reflection always seemed to be in front of her, blocking her path with its penetrating smile. Marisa pushed the reflection causing it to fall back a few steps. Dashing past it, she was able to get away.

"That was really weird...I think I might be closer to that Vampire girl though." Marisa contemplated this for a little while longer, wandering the maze of bullets. She veered left, then right, being careful not to step too close to the walls. If she did, she would be cut to pieces. Finally, she stumbled upon the middle. Flandre was sitting on the cold floor, giggling to herself. In her hands were two dolls. One looked like Marisa and the other looked like Flandre.

"Stop playing aroun-" she was cut off as hands wrapped around her mouth.

"Shhh..." Flandre put a finger to her lips.

Marisa eyes widened as she realized who was behind her. She turned, freeing herself of her own grip. Standing behind Marisa was the clone of herself. Flandre stood up and jumped in front of Marisa. "Don't you like her? I made a clone of you, so you will never be lonely down here!"

"What?"

"You are staying down here to play with me, right?" Flandre looked at Marisa, tears appearing in her eyes.

"I...I only really came down here for trea-"

She stopped as she saw the hakkero in the clone's hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" Marisa glared, "...NOBODY STEALS FROM ME!"

Flandre watched as Marisa took off her hat, and pulled out a baseball bat. "NOBODY!" She swung, and the clone dodged, but she pulled back on her swing and it slammed into the fake Marisa's head hard. The clone dropped to the floor, her head bleeding. The hakkero fell, and rolled where it stopped at Marisa's feet. She picked it up, stuffing it back into her hat and looked up to see Flandre kneeling over the fake witch's face. "I thought you wanted to play with me, Ms. Witch. But you're just like the rest of them." She pointed and Marisa followed the finger to see a pile of skeletons in the corner of the room. Marisa swallowed, her mouth going dry.

"Um, don't you worry...of course I will play with you!" she said, stuttering in fear.

"They've all said that..." Flandre said, a tear trickling down her face. "All of them..." she began to sob, her tears falling on the floor as the clone disappeared along with her spell. "Tell me, Ms. Witch..."

"Yes?"

"If I kill you, Then Will There Be None?" Flandre stood up, not even looking at Marisa. She lifted her hand and aimed her open palm at Marisa, who felt a choking sensation occurring on her heart. She couldn't breathe. Flandre lifted the witch's feet off the ground and let the witch hover. She turned her head swiftly to glare at the girl. "I'm going to kill you, Ms. Witch." Flandre then began to clench her fist, but she stopped, feeling a hand clench her ankle. Looking behind her, she saw the Marisa clone grabbing her.

"Get off me!" Flandre kicked at the clone, but it wouldn't let go of her. "I said, get off me!"

Flandre let go of the real Marisa, causing her to fall to the ground with a thump. She continued to fight at the replica, kicking and screaming. Marisa pulled her hat onto her head and straightened it. She darted at the girl and kicked her in the gut, sending her flying across the dungeon, and she slammed into the pile of skeletons in the corner. "Kids should play nice." Marisa said with a grimace. She looked down to see the clone's arm drop to the floor and disappear, as Flandre's maze spell finally ended. Flandre picked herself up.

"You don't play nice, Ms. Witch!"

"How can I? You keep trying to kill me!"

"But...I'm only playing!"

"No! You are crazy from being cooped up here for so long!" Marisa exclaimed.

"I..."

"You are out of control! You're nuts!"

"I...I'M NOT CRAZY!"

Rage overtook the poor girl. Flailing, she screamed her last spell. "Ripples of 495 Years!"

The dungeon shook. Vibrations emanated from the girl as she screamed. The high pitch squeals coming from her made Marisa fall over onto her side. The chain connected to the wall shook, and as Flandre's screams ended, the chain shattered causing the dungeon to wobble.

"You are going to bring the roof down on us at this rate!" Marisa yelled. She picked herself up, realizing that this was her time to get away. She began running up the stairs. She ran and ran, not even daring to look behind her. Finally, she reached the top and escaped into the Library's large open space. "Finally, I'm free." Marisa had barely finished that sentence before a book flew past her.

"So, the wretch returns." Marisa turned to see Patchouli standing with her arms crossed. "I suppose I should have been expecting you."

Marisa was about to reply when the floor erupted. Flandre rocketed upward into the Library. "What have you done?" Patchouli cried, her gaze one of fear and dread. "You awoke Flandre Scarlet! You fool!"

"Hey! I take offense to that!"

Flandre shot across the library, and up through the ceiling, her small figure disappearing through the roof above.

"I was just trying t-"

"Save it. Get out of here. You've already caused enough trouble." Patchouli then took off after Flandre, her ribbons fluttering in her hair.

Marisa just stood there, her small figure barely visible in the gigantic Library. Peering around her, she tiptoed over to the closest stack of books and grabbed one, stuffing it into her hat.

"I suppose nobody will mind." Then, she tiptoed over to the exit, leaving the Library and all of the troubles behind her.

"Marisa!" Reimu gasped, her broom stopping mid-swing. "I forgot about her!" Before she could say anymore, Marisa popped out of the grove of trees to Remilia's left.

"Sorry, I'm late. Did someone call my name?"

"Marisa!" Reimu flung herself at the witch, hugging her as tightly as possible.

"You're...killing...me..." Reimu let go happily.

"I'd thought something had happened to you!"

"Nah, just that lady's sister has got a lot of problems." She pointed to Remilia.

Remilia's eyes widened. "My sister? You met my sister?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She didn't kill you?"

"She tried." Marisa shrugged. "Oh, and I found this for you, Reimu." Marisa pulled a book out of her hat. "~*~the economy~*~ of Gensokyo." I thought you could use it to get more donations.

Reimu shot her a glare. "Right."

Remilia gazed at the two of them and then began laughing uncontrollably. "I swear, you two...I am glad to have met you. How about we have a celebration? I'll host. Party is at my mansion, of course."

"Sounds good to me!" The two replied in unison.

In Gensokyo, a lot of parties are held. This one, however, told of newfound friendships, and powerful successes. Flandre Scarlet was calmed down by the guard, Meiling, and the Librarian, Patchouli. She and her sister made amends; Flandre got a bedroom in the dungeon built for her with new lights and a bed. Marisa and Reimu continued to have adventures. Things were quiet in Gensokyo for a while, but I would be lying if I said this was the last incident. But, that my friends, is another story, for another time.


End file.
